Don't Say It's Never Too Late
by angelbunnycakes
Summary: Naruto is blown back ten years into the past with no memories and no Kyuubi to help her. How will she manage to survive? FemNaru/Sasu
1. Prologue: The Dream

Summary of the first story, Past, Present, Future: Only If You Knew

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto leaves, and when "he" comes back two and a half years later, she's a 7-year-old girl with no memories of the past. This Naruto has formed a nice bond with Kyuubi (whom she affectionately calls Kyuu-chan), and the demon fox briefly explains to all the shocked ones in Konoha about the accident that occurred back when they were still 15.

The seal had slightly cracked, and Kyuubi and Naruto for a split second merged into one another. That probably resulted in the gender and memory change and Naruto's sudden age problem. It also gave Kyuu-chan the power to stay outside Naruto's body and to morph into a lanky, redheaded young man.

The little blonde girl is placed in Uchiha Sasuke's – who was brought back against his will to Konoha – care, and they form somewhat of a close relationship again.

Nevertheless, the peace was not to last. Sasuke's old group – Hebi – attacked, and Suigetsu killed Naruto and Kyuu-chan. Naruto wakes up in a huge, white hallway with a fox lady standing next to her. The fox woman pushes Naruto into a door labeled 'The Past' and told the confused girl to meet her here again in ten years. Also, back in Konoha at the same time, Sasuke and the shinobi found that Naruto's "corpse" suddenly begins breathing. Sakura, saying that Kyuubi's chakra had saved the girl, tells them to bring Naruto's body quickly to the hospital.

That's what happens in my first story.

* * *

_In other words, this is a SEQUEL

* * *

_

**Prologue: The Dream**

A narrow, dark corridor.

_Where am I?_

She ran on.

_Have I come here before?_

Lighting torches.

_I remember… Sasuke._

She ran faster.

_What's Sasuke?_

Gushing water.

_Red eyes, black markings._

A big metal cage.

_Sharingan?_

A ripped up seal.

_Uchiha._

She walked up to it.

_Uchiha... Sasuke._

Growing dimness.

_Sasuke is…_

I lost him forever.

_My friend._

I couldn't even say goodbye.

_My brother._

Don't lose him.

_My... heart._

Blinding light. 


	2. And They Meet

**

* * *

**

She opened her eyes weakly. Her head throbbed like it was on fire, and there was not a part of her body that didn't ache. _Where am I? _she thought to herself. The little girl's eyes flit around. She was in a white room, and a weird, medicinal smell hung in the air. The little blonde wrinkled her nose. As if her headache didn't hurt enough already.

"You're awake," a voice stated gently. Naruto's head snapped quickly to the left to gaze at an old man wearing a formal white and red robe. The stranger smiled kindly. "Good morning, little one." He looked like he had more to say, but he was suddenly interrupted by a loud agonized shout from Naruto as a hard jab of pain shot across her head.

The walls swayed dangerously, and Naruto's stomach threatened to spill out its contents.

The Third Hokage, to be frank, was shocked. "Naruto…?"

She spoke through clenched teeth. "Do I know you?"

The Hokage's shock ebbed quickly to worry. "It's okay, Naruto-chan. Do not be afraid. I won't hurt you; I'm a close friend of your father's."

"M-my father's?"

The Sandaime frowned. "Yes, your father." He paused, hesitant, and then continued. "Little one, who was it that raised you up all these seven years? It was truly an amazing thing when Kakashi found you asleep in the training grounds just yesterday. Nobody had seen you come in; it was like you just appeared there. You've been gone for seven years." The Hokage's voice mirrored wonder.

Naruto was blunt and truthful. "I don't remember," she stated matter-of-factly.

"You—You don't remember?" Doubt was apparent in the old man's voice.

Naruto closed her eyes in resignation. "I don't know. My head hurts. And I can't think straight. I remember something…" She racked her brains. The dream she had just a while ago came up to mind. It was so vivid, and yet, she couldn't remember any of it. "I think there was something about a dark corridor and foxes," the little girl finally finished lamely.

"Foxes?"

"Yes, foxes. I don't know why. There was something about the past." She blinked dazedly. Her hold of her head tightened; it hurt so much! The Hokage's eyes softened, and he reached over to sweep aside some of her bangs that were close into poking her eye out. Naruto's response was something he had never expected.

She growled at him, and his hand shot back. Her eyes were beyond wild, and they burned feverishly. "Don't touch me!" Naruto snarled, and the Hokage could only stare. "Don't you dare! Where's Sasuke? He's still fighting! Tell him to get his stupid fatass head out of the battle before he kills himself!" All of a sudden, her voice cracked, and she jumped back onto the bed again. "And that Kyuu-chan… Where the hell is he?" she whispered this time, and tears rolled down her cheeks. "I… I can't find him. He's not dead, is he?" Naruto let out a pitiful wail before falling into unconsciousness.

The Third Hokage stood there in alarm. _It seems she has amnesia, _he thought, astounded. The Sandaime sighed and slowly walked over, gently placing the bed covers on Naruto's small body. Out of the three things she said, he understood only one.

_Sasuke._

**XXX**

"Hokage-sama, I believe I don't understand."

"Please, Fugaku-san, I'm asking for a while. Just enough to get her memories back," the Sandaime said. Suddenly, a woman appeared in front of the door. She gasped as she saw the Hokage.

"Sarutobi-sama!" she said, bowing. He smiled at her.

"Ah, Mikoto-san. How very nice to see you again. I was just talking to your husband about… taking in a rather young girl."

Mikoto was surprised. "Taking in?"

"Yes, as in adopting for a while. She has memory loss, and somehow, she remembers a member of the Uchiha Clan."

Fugaku was taken aback. "You didn't tell me that. Who is she?"

Sarutobi's eyes were sorrowful. "I believe your Sasuke has played with her before."

Fugaku shook his head in disbelief. "Not possible. That boy doesn't play. He has no friends, just like his older brother."

Mikoto suddenly fell to her knees, her eyes wide. "Iie, it can't be… Hokage-sama, _Naruto_?"

"It is."

Fugaku was simply staggered this time. "The long lost child of the Yondaime was _found_? How? When? Where?"

Sarutobi shook his head sorrowfully. "I don't know. She doesn't remember _anything_. The poor girl has attacks, and she started screaming today in the hospital. One thing that I heard was Sasuke. She spoke as if… as if she knew him."

Mikoto bit her lip. "That's hard to believe. I brought Sasuke over to the Yondaime's house only when Naruto-chan was eight months old. Sasuke was about to turn _one_. There's no way…"

"Who are we to judge?" the Third Hokage said resignedly. He sipped some more tea from the cup that Fugaku gave him. "I don't even know who raised up Naruto in these seven years. And how in the world she got in to Konoha. But, does that mean that you won't…?"

Fugaku looked at his wife quickly. "Don't worry. We will." Mikoto's eyes sparkled, and her husband cracked a rare smile. "Mikoto's always wanted a daughter. This is the perfect chance to grant her wish."

"When will you bring Naruto-chan, Hokage-sama?" Mikoto asked, breathless with joy.

"I suppose tomorrow. I'll see you then." The Sandaime then stood up, smiled gratefully at the couple, and left.

**XXX**

"Hello there."

Naruto opened her eyes and looked sideways. She winced; the pain in her head was still there. The little girl had to blink a bit to adjust her blurry eyesight. A silver-haired man was crouched at the window, one hand raised in greeting. He had a mask that covered the lower half of his face, and his headband concealed his left eye.

"And you are..." she asked tiredly.

"Hatake Kakashi. You may refer to me as Kakashi-sensei."

The little blond tried to sit up. "S-sensei?" Kakashi smiled and, with exaggerated slowness to not scare Naruto, walked to the edge of her bed. "Naruto, it would be most wise to lie back down. Your body won't be able to take it."

Naruto frowned, but did what she was told. "How come everyone knows my name?"

Kakashi's right eye became an upside-down U. "It's to be expected, little one. Look." He stood up and walked over to some portraits on the wall. The ninja tapped the last one. "Do you know who this is?"

Squinting, Naruto studied the photo for a few minutes. The man had sunshine-colored hair, and his eyes were... Argh, it was too far away for her to see. Yet Naruto could tell that although the man's face was serious and composed, there was an impish side hidden behind that serene mask. Naruto scowled. "He looks just like me."

The silver-haired man laughed. "Maa, I think it's _you _who looks just like him. He's your father."

Naruto frowned. "There's that talk about my father again. Who is he anyways?"

"He was the Fourth Hokage."

"And what is a Hokage?"

"That would be me." Kakashi and Naruto looked at the newcomer. It was Sarutobi. When the Third Hokage saw Naruto staring at him in surprise, he smiled. "What is a Hokage? Why, it's the leader of Konoha. Your father was a mighty Hokage. He saved this entire village." The Sandaime then sighed. "He ended up giving his life for it."

The little blond was feeling a bit queasy. "But... but then, what…about… _me_?"

Kakashi looked at Naruto gently, trying not the give in to the urge to comfort her and pet her tousled hair. "You were kidnapped a short while after Minato-sensei's death. He still had enemies, and they wanted to kill you, I suppose. They succeeded in killing your mother. But I see that you've survived. You have no idea how thrilled everyone will be when they hear that you've come back."

"Oh." There was a dreadful silence, and Kakashi looked at Naruto's face. It was tired and sad, and her eyes looked dead.

Sarutobi cleared his throat, breaking the quiet. "Ah, yes. I told Kakashi here earlier, you shall be staying at the Uchiha estate for the time being," the Sandaime said.

Naruto blinked out of her stupor. "_Uchiha_?" Something about that name… _No_.

"Yes, Uchiha. To be honest, the one called Uchiha Sasuke?" He checked her expression to see if she would recognize that name. She didn't.

"I don't know him," Naruto stated brusquely. _They don't need to know. _

The Sandaime fought to hide his disappointment. "No matter. You shall get to know him and his family later on. And you'll be sent to the Ninja Academy. That's like school here in Konoha."

Naruto narrowed her eyes. "I know how to fight."

Kakashi spoke up, his eyes concentrated on the small blonde. "Really? How do you know that? Who taught you?"

The little girl shrugged carelessly. "I don't know. I just do."

"Fine," the Third Hokage said, "I'll tell Iruka about this information, but you'll still have to go attend. It's law."

Naruto nodded seriously. "I understand."

Sarutobi took out a pipe and lit it. "Very well. Kakashi and I here will leave. Rest up, Naruto-chan."

_Naru-chan._

The blonde scowled fiercely at her bedcovers as her headache intensified. "I apologize," she said slowly yet firmly, "but I don't like that nickname. Please don't call me that."

The Sandaime blinked, and then composed himself. "Of course. I shall remember that." He then beckoned for Kakashi to follow him out the door. The silver-haired ninja caught the last sentence that Sarutobi muttered miserably to himself.

"Oh, _Naruto_… What happened to you?"

**XXX**

She twitched uncomfortably. Her wide wide eyes took in the big door, the open courtyard. Everything was just so… _spacey._ Yet, she felt like she had been here before. Every pole, door, window that she saw… why was it so _familiar_? And this scent… The little blond breathed it in. What was the feeling of comfort and fear that shot through her? Naruto shuddered. She didn't know whether she should feel happy or afraid.

"Naruto, are you all right?" the Third Hokage asked worriedly, "If you don't want to do this, we can postpone it."

Naruto shook her head stubbornly. "Don't worry about me, gramps. I'll be fine." The Third Hokage looked like he wanted to say something more – especially about his nickname – but he just shook his head and sighed.

"Hokage-sama?" came a cautious feminine voice, and the Hokage straightened up.

"Ah, yes. It's me with Naruto," he said, smiling. The main door slid open, and a woman with long black hair stepped out. She bowed to the Hokage, and her onyx eyes rested on the girl standing next to the old man.

She saw a little blond child, squirming uncomfortably in the white hospital gown. Her big blue eyes were sad; it looked like once they had sparkled with life, but now they were dead and blank. _Naruto-chan…_Mikoto felt tears brim on the edges of her eyes, and she stepped forward. "Naruto, welcome."

The blondie looked up sharply at Mikoto. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Mikoto-san."

Mikoto shook her head. "No, honey. Please don't call me that. Hokage-sama told me about your rule to never call you 'Naruto-chan' so please don't call me Mikoto-san."

Naruto thought for a while. "Mikoto-neesan," she then decided, and Mikoto, dismayed, realized that it was the most Naruto would say.

"All right. That works too," Mikoto smiled at the little blond. Naruto just blinked, eyes still distant. Mikoto then turned to the Sandaime. "Would you like to come in?" The Sandaime shook his head.

"It's okay. I must be going." He turned to Naruto. "Be a good little girl," he said lovingly.

"Of course, sir," was Naruto's bitter response.

**XXX**

She awoke panting and sweating. Naruto sat up hurriedly, and she found out that her cheeks were wet with tears. Her bedcovers were mussed and tangled, her pillow on the ground. It was apparent that she had a nightmare, but how come she couldn't remember it? Naruto thought hard. Blood. There was tons of blood. And a red-haired man… Who was he? All of a sudden, a flashing image of a big sword shot across Naruto's mind. She bit back a frightened gasp and ducked into her covers. The petrified girl shivered in the dark of her bed sheets before she managed to calm down.

_It's just a dream, _she thought sternly to herself. Naruto peeped out of her covers and slowly stepped off the bed and looked around.

Her room was very tall and wide. A beautiful desk was in one corner of the room, and Naruto saw that it had her name carved on it. She walked over and touched it hesitantly. It gleamed brightly, and Naruto realized the desk was new. Was it just for… _her_? A closet was to her left, and when Naruto opened it, only her hospital dress hung there. Then…

The little girl looked down. She was wearing a white t-shirt with a weird fan-shaped picture imprinted on the front. It smelled nice and so recognizable… like vanilla and pine trees…

Naruto shook her head, clearing away the pounding that suddenly appeared in her head. She also noticed that she was wearing rather baggy, black shorts. _Oh,_ she thought to herself with some surprise, _They're boy clothing. _Naruto then decided that she liked boy attires way better than a girl's.

The little youngster trotted over to the big door and slid it quietly. She walked into the hall, eyes scanning everything. Gorgeous paintings hung on the wall, and Naruto felt like she was in a museum. And the place was so _clean._ The small child frowned. She needed some fresh air. Where was the garden? Unexpectedly, on their own accord, her feet started to walk towards a door to her left. Naruto blinked, but she didn't do anything. Closing her eyes, she let her body take over her mind. Open, close. Open, close. Open, close. There were so many doors!

But then, just when she was getting ready to open her eyes and see simply where she was, solid earth!

Naruto opened her eyes and smiled a little smile for the first time in days. A gentle breeze rushed by, and the little girl sighed contentedly. Naruto bent down to pick up a flower that fell from the sakura tree.

"Naruto." It was a firm voice, and Naruto's head snapped around. A man was walking around a corner, and it seemed like he just saw her. The little blond immediately went on "autopilot" and her eyes became distant and vacant.

"Good morning, Uchiha-san," Naruto said abruptly.

"Morning," he answered, and stood in front of her. "I see that you are the one Hokage-sama was talking about."

"I am," Naruto replied, matching the man's tautness.

"Welcome to my family."

"Thank you, sir."

There was an awkward silence, and Naruto decided that she rather like this man. He wasn't too prying, and his coldness had somewhat of a nice effect on her. She resumed in looking at her sakura petal. The man cleared his throat to catch her attention, and she focused her azure eyes on his stern face.

"Did you meet my two sons yet?" he asked stiffly.

"No, Uchiha-san," Naruto said. "I slept for a long time," she then added after some thought.

"I see." Pause. "You shall be going to the Ninja Academy today."

"Yes, Uchiha-san."

Silence.

"Go to Mikoto. She'll give you breakfast and your bento."

"Yes, Uchiha-san." Naruto obediently took off to the kitchen. Noiselessly sliding the door open, Naruto saw that Mikoto was making the school lunchbox, the woman's hands chopping vegetables speedily. The small child watched, not wanting to make her presence known. Then Mikoto turned and saw Naruto. Her hands dropped the knife and flitted to her chest.

"Oh Kami-sama! Naruto! I didn't… You gave me quite a scare," Mikoto breathed out. Her face then softened, and she wiped her fingers on her white apron. "You need something, honey?"

"My apologies, Mikoto-neesan. I need a bento box. I'm going to Academy today." Naruto's voice was polite and but firm, unlike Mikoto's warm and tender voice.

Mikoto's kindhearted face cleared, and she brightened. "That's right! You'll be going to the Academy today. Aren't you excited?" Mikoto resumed back to chopping the veggies when something else flickered to her mind. "That reminds me! Naruto, honey, can you go check on Sasuke for me? You guys still haven't met, huh? That idiotic boy really worked himself out yesterday, training till ten. Heavens, I almost fainted when I saw his condition. See if he can go to school today, alright, Naruto?"

Naruto nodded seriously and trotted into the kitchen to the door across the room. Before she walked through the door though, she saw Mikoto looking at her in bafflement. "Mikoto-neesan…?" she asked.

Mikoto shook her head, snapping out of her daze. "Oh, nothing, sweetie. I was just… just wondering how you knew Sasuke's bedroom was that way." Her eyes burned with curiosity, but out of politeness Mikoto didn't pry.

The little child shrugged, answering Mikoto's unasked question. "I just do." Naruto then walked out the kitchen.

**XXX**

_Uchiha…_

_Sasuke._

She grimaced, biting her lip. Naruto was standing next to his bed, looking at his tired and battered face. He was so _familiar_, and Naruto felt something burn in her chest, like… like…

She couldn't tell. Was she happy or sad to see this person? And how come… how come…?

The little blonde shook her head angrily. What was she thinking? This was a total stranger! Naruto reached a hand out and tenderly shook Sasuke's shoulders, making sure that she wouldn't hurt him in the process. The boy groaned softly, but didn't wake up. Naruto scowled. This was harder than she thought. The child looked around, eyes searching. Anything that could help her…? She sighed. No matter. Bending down, Naruto gazed at the sleeping boy, opened her mouth, and—

"Oi!"

Sasuke's eyes snapped open like he was stung, saw Naruto standing next to his bed, freaked, and literally jumped to the furthest corner of the room. "Wha… What are you?"

Naruto gazed at him with impassive eyes. "I came to wake you up. Mikoto-neesan wants to know if you can go to school today."

Sasuke, now that his mind cleared a little, calmed down. His body became less tense, and his face became near expressionless. Sasuke's onyx eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Who are you? Why are you in my house and wearing my clothes?"

"I'm living here for the time being. Hokage's orders," Naruto replied, pokerfaced. "Don't worry. I won't bother you. But can you go to school today?"

Sasuke seemed to finally notice his beat-up body for the first time. "_Ow_," he muttered and cringed as he gingerly touched his head. Naruto's eyes, for the first time, seemed to have softened. She walked over to him and gently eased him back on the bed. Sasuke's onyx eyes looked taken aback and he was about to make a protest when Naruto cut him to it.

"You can't go like this. Now I understand Mikoto-neesan's concern," Naruto said firmly. Then her voice became gentler. "I had a similar headache just the other day. If you don't rest now, it's never gonna get better. So, _sleep_."

Sasuke glared at her and tried to sit up. "Shut up, dobe. I can—_Ouch_!" Naruto had whacked him on his forehead, and the raven-haired boy fell back on the bed, clutching his aching head. Naruto's lip twitched as if she were suppressing a smile.

"Dobe? If I'm a dobe, you can be a teme. Sasuke-teme, no is no." Naruto's eyes glittered menacingly.

Sasuke blinked, and his eyes took a distant look. Then they cleared, and he fiercely scowled back at her. "I have to go. I _have _to. I need to beat Brother no matter what happens."

Naruto tilted her head sideways, and without knowing it, she dropped her frosty demeanor. Her cerulean eyes once more became brighter and wider, and her voice once more was childlike. "Brother? _Why_?" the little blonde asked curiously.

Sasuke was flabbergasted. This girl had suddenly transformed before his eyes, and when he thought she was years older than him… she looked around the same age! He started and cleared his throat. "None of _your_ business, dobe," he managed to choke out.

Naruto's cold mask was placed over her face again. She stood up stiffly. "I'll be going now. Rest and d—"

"I need to!" Sasuke didn't mean for it to sound so immature, but the shout still came out that way. "I need to! I can't miss one day of school. I _can't_. And _you_ won't be the boss of me." The boy struggled to upright himself, and wobbly, he detached himself from his bed.

Something came over Naruto. She didn't know _what_ it was. But this warm feeling… It was one that sang of comfort and joy, and it washed over her. Seeing Sasuke like that, determined, sour, rude…

_I lost him forever, and I couldn't even say goodbye. So whatever you do, don't lose him._

Sasuke's eyes widened for the third time in surprise as he felt someone support his weak body. He glanced at the frowning Naruto's face. She saw him staring at her, and the little blond gave a little childlike snort. "Don't think every time you throw a tantrum like that, I'll let you your way. Just this one time, agreed? And you cannot participate in any physical activities." Suddenly, to the great astonishment of both of them, a startling, foxy grin appeared on Naruto's face. "You owe me a big favor, teme."

Sasuke had to swallow his amazement. He looked away, scowling. "Hn. Whatever, dobe. Hurry up, or we'll be late."

"Yeah, yeah, Sasuke-sama," came Naruto's witty response.

Mikoto thought she was having eye problems when she saw Sasuke – being supported by Naruto – shakily stumble into the kitchen. The woman's eyes narrowed, and she looked long and hard at Naruto. Although the small blonde's face was pokerfaced and composed, Mikoto knew that the little girl had some kind of expression on her face before entering the kitchen.

"Kaa-san?" Sasuke said. "We need our bento boxes."

"Huh? Oh yes, I know. But Sasuke, you can't go to school like that! Honey, you can barely walk."

"Oh, Mikoto-neesan," Naruto cut in, "Sasuke was just telling me that the teacher has an important lesson to teach today. No absences shall be tolerated."

Mikoto blinked. "But, sweetie…" Something seemed to stop Mikoto from finishing her sentence, and the woman sighed. "Alright. Sasuke, don't hurt yourself. And Naruto, please see to it that he doesn't hurt himself. Please."

"Of course. I understand, Mikoto-neesan."

"And Sasuke? Your promise?"

"I understand, Mother."

**XXX**

Naruto caught him looking at her for the fifth time. "Yes?" she at last asked.

Sasuke scowled. "Nothing."

"Why are you looking at me for then?"

The raven-haired boy seemed to blush, and he quickly mumbled something that Naruto didn't catch. She rolled her eyes, letting out a huff.

"_What_? Spill it."

Another mumble.

"Teme…" Naruto growled.

"Thankyouforconvincingmymom," he speedily replied, and then his face turned a deep crimson. The little blonde could only blink. Then his words registered in her clouded mind, and she let out a tinkling laugh. It was Sasuke's turn to stare in wonder. But it didn't last long.

"Goodness. Here you are, looking like your dog died or something, and it turns out that it was just a 'thank you,'" Naruto giggled, teasing the boy. "Jeez. Do you have a big ego or what?"

"Shut up, usuratonkachi," Sasuke snapped. "I shouldn't have said it."

"Nah, you should've. You're most welcome, teme."

"Hn."

There was a comfortable shush, and Naruto looked at the view surrounding her. Green grass and beautiful flowers sprouted everywhere. Birds were flying here and there from tall pine trees, chirping happily away to one another. "Konoha's a pretty place, ne?" Naruto murmured peacefully.

"Hn." Sasuke itched to ask Naruto about her past and the reason why she was staying at his house, but he checked himself. It was already bad enough that he had to be seen leaning on this puny girl, so there was absolutely no reason why he should become closer to her.

"Oi, teme," Naruto said, interrupting Sasuke's thoughts.

He glowered at her. "What?"

"How do you think…" Her voice trailed off. "How do you think I'm supposed to act?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean,' Naruto replied sassily. "Don't play stupid with me."

"_Huh_?" He blinked. "Well, act like yourself."

Naruto shot him an amused glance. "That's right. I didn't tell you, huh?"

"Tell me _what_?" Sasuke demanded, pissed.

The blonde's lip curled into a disgusted sneer. Sasuke mentally recoiled away, dumbfounded at this show of emotion. "That I have _amnesia_." The information whirled around in Sasuke's head, and he managed to connect the pieces together.

"Wait, so you're new here? When did you arrive?" he questioned, dazed.

Naruto shrugged. "Bout three days ago." Her eyes focused in on Sasuke. "I ask you again: how am I supposed to act? Tell me this. How do the girls in your class act?"

Sasuke's inner mind: _"Sasukaaaaaaaaaaaay!! Sasuke-kuuuuun! Don't you like my haircut? Oh, oh, oh, do you like my new dress? Will you go out with me? Please? Pretty please? I want to be your first kiss!"_

The raven-haired child grimaced, turning quite pale at the thought of Naruto becoming like this. Finally he finds a girl that didn't swoon at the sight of him …

"Er, just be tomboyish with a little dash of sweetness," Sasuke said from the top of his head. "But not too sweet," he added with a wince as an afterthought. Naruto glanced at him, confused at the conflicting emotions that flickered across his face. But she decided to shrug it off.

"I understand." Naruto then stopped. "Oh, we're here." Naruto lightly removed her arm around Sasuke's waist and took a step back. "There, can you stand properly? Good."

Sasuke blinked in bewilderment, and Naruto let out a mocking laugh. "I'm not blind, teme. I know you like to be the cool and silent guy. It would just kill your reputation if you were seen walking into school with a little girl helping you stand. So, now that I'm beginning to hear the laughter and shouting of other kids, I suppose it is time to look a bit… separate, if you catch my drift." Naruto saw Sasuke's face, and she sighed. "It's a deduction, teme. I did not read your mind."

The raven-haired boy colored. "Shut it, usuratonkachi. Whatever. Just go."

Naruto curtsied. "See you later." And she ran off.

He stared after her, eyes in bafflement.

**XXX**

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto. Please take good care of me." She did a little bow, and Sasuke knew that his face had shock etched on it. There was no way this little adorable – eck, Inner Sasuke thought, not _adorable_, just… different – kid was the girl that he saw this morning. There was absolutely _no way_.

First off. Her hair. It was combed into two spiky pigtails, and they hung down to her shoulders. Her hair, though never dull looking, was now radiant. It shone dazzling sunshine-colored. Then there was the matter of her beautiful – no, not beautiful… _different_ – eyes. They were sparkled with laughter and life, and they were _huge _on her round, childish face. The smile that graced her face… It matched her perfectly. She was a picture of pure innocence. Sasuke did mental comparison. Home Naruto against School Naruto. Wow. Two species.

Sasuke could already see the hearts in every boy's eyes. He frowned, and his stomach gave a twinge of—

It absolutely did not! Not a chance in a million.

The teacher, meanwhile, cleared his throat, trying to hide his joy in seeing the Yondaime's child for the first time. "Naruto, is it? Well, it is nice to meet you. I am Iruka; you may call me Iruka-sensei. Please tell us a little bit more about yourself."

A cute grin shot through Naruto's tanned face. "My pleasure, sensei. Let's see… My parents died in a war from a long time ago, and since they knew Hokage-sama, he brought me to Konoha after their death. So, I shall be in Konoha for a rather long time. I'm living currently in Uchiha Sasuke's household. It's a wonderful experience to be here."

People started whispering loudly and fast.

"_The _Uchiha Sasuke?"

"No way! That's why she's wearing those clothes."

"She's wearing Sasuke-kun's clothes? The nerve!"

"I'm so jealous! I want to live in Sasuke-kun's house!"

Sasuke, as usual, ignored the mutterings of his classmates. But he made the mistake of looking to the front of the class and making eye contact with her. She swiftly gave him a grin and mouthed something like the word "ego." He glowered daggers at her, but she took no notice and hid a snort.

"Class!" Iruka roared, banging his fist on the blackboard behind him. "Silence! Is this the courtesy you show to our new classmate?" He turned back to Naruto, who was one hundred percent angel now. "Excuse me, little Naruto. May I ask, can you sit next to Haruno Sakura over there? Sakura, please wave your hand." A pink haired girl raised her hand in the air. Naruto grinned cheerfully.

"Of course, sensei."

**XXX**

"Ohmigod. Ohmigod. Ohmigod." It was lunch break, and Naruto found herself surrounded by a bunch of girls. They ogled at her in admiration. The lead girl with really short, light-yellow hair stood over her desk, gushing. "Ohimigod! You're living in Sasuke-kun's house?"

Naruto sweatdropped. "H-hai."

"Oh!" the girl realized. "I'm sorry. I'm Ino. Nice to meet you." She turned to the rest. "This is Aniko, Yumi, and Momo. I assume you know Sakura already?" Naruto nodded quickly. Ino smiled. "So, tell me, how is it?"

"H-how is what?"

Momo – a girl with long chestnut hair – sighed in exasperation. "Sasuke-kun's house! Duh!"

"Oh… Um, _big_?" Naruto answered weakly. The blonde could only gawk as she saw the four of them – Sakura the only one shyly keeping to herself – making big fuss over this information. Silently, Naruto sneaked off, and to her great relief, they didn't notice.

The child wondered around the schoolyard, breathing in the tranquility of the grounds. It was nice. The forest was nearby, and if Naruto was feeling too cramped, well, she found a wonderful refuge from all her troubles now.

"Hey, it's the new kid. Yo!" someone said. Naruto turned around. A boy with weird, red triangle markings sat in the shade with a small white dog perched on his head. He was surrounded by three other boys. "Why don't you come sit down?" Naruto hastily thought it over. Them or Ino and her group…

Yeah, _them_.

"Hey," Naruto replied, smiling cheerfully at the boy and sitting down next to their little group. "Thanks. I was looking for a place."

The boy smirked at her. "Whatta bout the classroom? I thought you were eating there? You had quite a crowd gathered around your desk."

Naruto grimaced. "_Er_…"

He let out a bark of laughter. "I know. She's like that. I'm Kiba. This is Akamaru." The dog let out a yap, and then Kiba turned to the rest of the group. "Shikamaru. Chouji. Shino."

Chouji was too busy eating, and Shino looked like he had never heard the word "socializing" before. Shikamaru was the only one who answered: "How troublesome."

Kiba looked at Naruto apologetically. "Do you still wanna eat with us?"

"You kidding me?" Naruto asked indignantly. She had already got out her lunch from the bento box. "No doubt in _my _mind!"

Kiba smiled a wolfish smile. "I like you, Naruto!"

Her eyes twinkled as she replied. "Who _wouldn't_? Itadakimasu!"

**XXX**

The bell rang for after school, and students dashed out of the classroom. Naruto sighed. Who would've known that school was this boring? They did nothing but review the textbook, and Naruto, for no apparent reason, already knew this material already. God, why was Sasuke so intent in coming here? She shuddered just thinking about coming here every, single, blasted, doggone—

"What with that face?" Naruto looked up in surprise. Kiba and Shikamaru stood next to her desk and Akamaru barked worriedly. "Cheer up, Naru-chan!"

Naruto sulked. "Don't call me that."

"Why? It fits you perfectly," Kiba answered, smirking.

The little blonde stood up slowly, thought for a while, and then took the face of an angel. She hurriedly replied before running off, "You're right. It _does_. Just like 'dog breath' fits _you_ perfectly! I shall be going, my great Dog Breath-sama!" Kiba chased Naruto out the door, shouting at her. Shikamaru slowly followed, hands in his pockets.

"How troublesome. I wanted to go cloud watching…"

_On the dirt road home…_

"Dog breath…" Kiba muttered. "Sheesh. My breath doesn't smell like dog…" Akamaru barked. "Sorry, Akamaru," the boy then hastily said. "No offense meant."

Naruto giggled. "Hurt pride, Kiba-kun?"

Kiba rolled his eyes. "I still think Naru-chan fits you perfectly."

Naruto glared. "You may only call me that when we are _alone_."

"Shikamaru doesn't count," Kiba debated.

"Shika-kun doesn't count," Naruto affirmed, smiling cutely.

Shikamaru looked ruffled. "That's nice of you guys. And where did Shika come from?"

"That's cuz 'Shikamaru' is too hard to pronounce. Life needs to be simple."

Kiba laughed. "That's Shikamaru's motto, for sure."

"How troublesome."

Suddenly, a wind blew overhead, and Naruto perked up. "Oh!" she said, wrinkling her nose. "I hafta go. Dammit, I totally forgot!" She waved to the two boys. "Catch you later, Aka-chan, Inu-chan, Pineapple-chan!"

Kiba looked at Shikamaru in exasperation. "Aka-chan… Baby? Does she mean Akamaru? Then whatta bout Inu-chan? That's Doggy. Surely she didn't mean _me_!"

Shikamaru muttered to Kiba, "I'm the one who got called a 'pineapple' and you're complaining. Sheesh."

Kiba snickered. "It must be your ponytail."

"How _troublesome_," Shikamaru said.

**XXX**

_In a day, she had already bonded with the class. The dobe has almost all the boys falling head over heels about her_, Sasuke mused to himself, trudging drearily onwards. He cringed; the pain had gotten worse. But he couldn't stop thinking and wondering about her. That usuratonkachi and her past. Who was she? Why, was that figure in school all truly just an act? Sasuke didn't see the root sticking up from the dirt, and he stumbled, falling towards the ground.

_This is gonna hurt. A lot._

"Sasuke!" Lightning fast, she grabbed his arms and pulled him upright. He gripped her hands for support and gave a hiss of agony as pain shot through his arms. Naruto looked at him worriedly with big, cerulean eyes. "Oh Kami-sama, I'm _so _sorry, Sasuke! I don't know what came over me, I just… I totally forgot… Are you _all right_? Sasuke? Answer, teme!" she questioned hurriedly.

He tried to hide the many feelings that he knew were showing too intensely in his eyes. Sasuke looked at the ground, the trees, the sky… _anywhere_ except for those big, condemning orbs of blue. "Y-yeah, I'm fine. You can let go now, dobe."

"Oh!" She loosened her hold, and one arm was around his waist once more. "I'm so sorry, really. Kiba and Shikamaru completely made me forget. You sure you're all right? You aren't lying to me, right? And _what_? You're looking at me strangely again."

Sasuke shook his head. "You utterly confuse me."

"What? _What_? I confuse _you_?" Naruto's sharp, breathless laughter echoed in the huge forest. "That's what you say when you scare the living hell outta me? I run here as fast as I could, see you tripping over your own feet, manage to catch you, and then you tell me I'm confusing. Why, _thank you_, teme."

Sasuke blushed. _Dammit. I've been doing a lot of that lately._ "That's not what I meant." He looked at Naruto, whose eyes were livid. _She's bipolar…_ Naruto didn't respond but just began walking slowly, letting Sasuke hobble along with her. The raven-haired boy sighed. "My apologies," he muttered stiffly.

She let out a gust of air from her mouth, and her lips curled up into a little smile. "No, Sasuke, it is I who should be apologizing. I'm sorry. I just… I don't know. I guess it was like a déjà vu. You do know what that is right?" Sasuke nodded, and Naruto continued. "When I saw you falling and about to hurt yourself, it was like I was seeing a different you… One that I knew from before." The little blonde bit her lip. She then said softly, "Sorry about confusing you."

Sasuke shook his head. "No, I told you, that's not what I meant."

Naruto frowned. "Then what did you mean?"

The raven-haired boy looked at her, wondering if it were safe to tell her. He answered slowly, calculating his words, "This morning you were going on about how you should act and all. So I can't tell if you're still acting or not. Because, I'm pretty sure you know, you're a totally different person than the one who left the house this morning."

Naruto blinked, and then let out a small laugh. To Sasuke's relief, this was a happy, joyful laugh. "Oh goodness. That's what you were worrying about?" Naruto shot him a cocky grin, and her azure eyes shone brightly. "You know what? I think this is the real me. So if you don't like this me…" The little girl stuck out her tongue at Sasuke playfully. "Too bad, then."

He looked more confused than ever. "Huh?"

Naruto snorted. "I have amnesia, right? So the only reason I acted the way I did before was because I didn't know how I should've acted." The child smiled cheerfully. "I like this better. It's nice, being able to talk to so many people and laughing along with them. Of course, I do have my sad side, but only you know about that." She winked contently at him.

Sasuke decided the best reply was to not reply at all. "Hn."

"Oh gosh," Naruto said. "So intelligent. Ah, about that." The blonde smirked. "What's this about Sasukaaaay-kun and marriages and kisses and all?"

Grimace. Wince. Cringe. "So you met them."

"How can I not? They nearly suffocated me," Naruto replied matter-of-factly. "And they even sent me a note asking me if we were dating."

Grimace. Wince. Cringe.

"Oh, and about your likes and dislikes."

Grimace. Wince. Cringe.

"About your crushes and—"

"May you _not?_"

Naruto smirked again. "Just pulling your leg. Though that is quite dangerous, seeing how bruised it is." The little girl sighed. "I'm quite the sadist, aren't I?"

"You talk different than the other girls. You act older," Sasuke said. He was surprised after he spoke. When did _he_ start talking to girls…?

Naruto took no notice, but began pondering. "You know what? I think you're right. Maybe I _am _older. You never know." She snorted in amusement. "_I _don't know either. Pfft. Amnesia sucks. Well, maybe not."

Sasuke's curiousity – curse it – got the better of him, and he spoke again. "Why?"

"I did have parents, you know. But because of my amnesia, I don't hafta be all boo hoo about it. So mebbe it is better." Naruto frowned. "Or not. I don't know. Oh." The little blonde gently stopped and took a step sideways, away from Sasuke. "There's a new person at the door. He smells like you, so I'm assuming it's your niisan that you talked about this morning."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "How do you know? We haven't gone around the corner of the street yet. And how do you know how I smell?"

Naruto pointed to her nose and ears. "I have a high sense of smell and hearing. So don't try sneaking up on me or talking bad talk about me. Nor eating goodies from behind my back." She smiled at Sasuke. "C'mon then. Introduce me to your niisan."

"Hn," he muttered. But Naruto was correct. As they turned around the corner, there stood a young-looking Itachi. Naruto glanced back at Sasuke, lips puckered in annoyance.

"Tell me, how should I act?"

The boy shrugged. "Niisan won't care. Act however you want."

"Oh. All right then. Cheer me on!" She walked up to Itachi, letting Sasuke take the lead.

"Niisan," Sasuke said respectfully.

"Ototo," Itachi replied impassively. His black eyes flickered to Naruto. "And you are the Yondaime's long lost child."

Naruto bowed. "Yes. That would be me."

Sasuke's inner mind: _What. The. Frick? Yondaime?_

Itachi nodded. "I'm Uchiha Itachi. It's my pleasure."

The little blond looked like she was going to say something courteous back, but instead, she made a disgusted face. "You know what? Sasuke, I should live up to what I say. Screw this. It's not me." Then, to the two Uchiha brother's amazement, Naruto adopted the angelic face she had in class and literally glomped Itachi in the arm. " 'Afternoon, niichan!"

Blink blink. Stare stare. Blink Blink.

Grimace. Wince. Cringe.

Itachi gained his wits back faster than his brother. The teenager's hand came up and petted Naruto's head lightly. "It seems you have conflicting personalities, Naruto-chan."

Sasuke's inner mind: _What. The. Frick? Nii... san?_

Naruto smiled cheerfully. "You act so different from Sasuke-teme! I can't believe you two are siblings!"

Blink blink. Stare stare. Blink Blink.

Grimace. Wince. Cringe.

Then: Itachi let out a shaky laugh. It was barely audible, but the two children still caught it. "Naruto-chan, _you_ are the different one. I would love to see how our family household would start to change when you stay here longer." He placed Naruto gently on the ground and walked inside towards the house. He said over his shoulder, "Ototo, please do not train yourself to death. Let Mother see to your wounds. Some of them aren't that minor." And he was gone.

Sasuke whispered to Naruto – and a bit enviously too – "How the hell did you do that?"

Naruto tipped her head to one side. "_What_? Do what?"

"Make niisan _laugh_."

"Is that… strange?"

"I have never heard him laugh in that way for a few _years_ now."

The blonde's mouth fell open in astonishment. "But… But I didn't do anything except to act like what you told me. And you seriously call that laughing?"

"Yeah, that was laughing, dobe. And what did I tell you to do?"

She scowled. "Well, a certain teme told me to act whatever. So I did." Sasuke opened his mouth to protest against this, but Naruto bursted out suddenly, "I smell cookies! Oh my goodness! Cookies? Let's _go_, Sasuke-teme!" And she dragged him off.

_Later…_

To say Mikoto was surprised would not have been true.

She had something similar to a heart attack, and wondered whether she should go see the eye doctor. After all, having eye problems in the Uchiha Clan (special trait: Sharingan eyes) was not a light matter. It was only when Itachi told her that it _was _Naruto standing there chatting happily away to Sasuke and not some strange child did Mikoto finally relax. _Hokage-sama…_

No, Mikoto was more than surprised.

**XXX**

The same nightmare. Blood. Blood. And more blood. The red-haired man had protected her at the last second, and he took the devastating blow of the large, slashing sword. His body had slumped on hers, and she quickly pushed the bloody carcass off of her, holding in a scream. Then…

Sasuke? It is... It has to be!

She ran towards the vanishing figure, but all of a sudden, a huge pit appeared beneath her feet. Her mouth opened to let out a bloodcurdling shriek, but no sound came out and Naruto fell down, down, down…

When she woke up, the little child decided that a walk around the neighborhood would be best. After all, the shivers of fright up her spine won't go away by themselves. Quickly putting on a jacket – most likely Sasuke's – she opened her window and disappeared into the night.

In the forest nearby, she met the vanishing figure of her dream. Except he was ten years younger and real.

"S-Sasuke-teme? What… What are _you_ doing here?"

* * *

Please review. 3? ;)

Thanx for your support.

* * *

Chapter 1: And They Meet

* * *


	3. Under the Skies

* * *

**Chapter 2: Under the Skies**

* * *

The raven-haired boy quickly whisked around. In his hands were black star-shaped metal pieces… _shuriken_.

_He was frigging training?_ Naruto thought in astonishment and frustration. _Is that teme an idiot?_

"Sasuke," Naruto growled, cerulean eyes practically shooting out flames and sparks, "What the _hell_ do you think you're doing? You better have a good explanation, _teme_." She spat out the last word venomously.

Sasuke glared back at her. "Shuriken practice. What _else_, dobe?"

"Oh?" the little blonde snapped sardonically, "Amazing. May I ask thy Excellency just _why _might someone be training during this time of night? And just _how _he is going to go to school tomorrow?"

"Shut _up_, dobe."

She exploded, and her hands were thrown up in the air as she shouted with rage. "'Shut up'?! You frigging tell _me _to zip it? Excuse me, you damn bastard, but if _you_ are all torn and bloody tomorrow, it shall be _I _that has to drag your body to school. It shall be _I _who has to make sure that you do not faint in class. So you know what? No, I am _not _going to shut up!"

Sasuke opened his mouth to make an angry reply when he blinked rapidly and…

Fainted onto the ground. Naruto forgot all her wrath in one nanosecond and ran down the hill to the clearing where Sasuke had fallen. "Oh my god, Sasuke! Sasuke!" Naruto shrieked. "Crap it! Wake up, teme! Wake up!" She shook him roughly, but there was no response. The little blonde, panicking, pressed her ear to his chest and was terribly relieved when she heard his heartbeat and felt him breathing faintly.

Grabbing his shoulder and grunting, she half pulled, half dragged his body deeper into the forest. Her nose twitched, and Naruto realized there was a lake nearby. With renewed strength, she heaved the unconscious Sasuke faster and arrived into a bigger clearing. The moonlight glittered on the surface of a clear, turquoise lake, and the little blonde bit back a gasp. It was so beautiful! But then she remembered Sasuke. Propping him up against a tree, she scampered to the shore. Taking off her jacket, she soaked one sleeve with water, dashed back to Sasuke, and dabbed his sweaty and bloody forehead.

"Damn bastard. Kuso yarou. Training his ass off, then fricking fainting on me. The _nerve_," Naruto muttered angrily to herself. She wiped off the grime from Sasuke's skin not too kindly. Sure enough, Sasuke was roused awake – by the pain of Naruto's treatment or the coolness of water, he did not know. But as soon as his onyx eyes opened, the worry lines on Naruto's face ceased and her ceruleans eyes became enraged orbs of blue. "Teme! What the hell was that? You… Argh! I just want to _kill_ you!"

Sasuke sat up groggily. He avoided looking at her, and instead gazed at the luminous lake. "How'd you find this place?" he asked in a blank voice, hiding his emotions.

She snapped at him crossly, "High sense of smell and hearing? Answer my question, Uchiha Sasuke! Why the _hell_ were you out training?"

"You won't _understand_, dobe."

Slap.

Sasuke's eyes were wide. No _girl_ had ever dared to do that to him before. To be exact, no one did. His father and brother rarely touched him, and well, hugs from his mother were rare. But here, here was this girl that he didn't even know for a day, and she slapped him. Slapped. _Him_. Uchiha Sasuke. His onyx eyes turned from the lake to look at her, and he was astounded at the sight that greeted him. The blonde's lips were quivering, and her eyes were harshly bright as she stared at the hand that she used to slap him. _She's… She's crying?_

With a startled gasp, as if she just realized what she had done, Naruto clenched her hands and quickly scurried to the shore of the lake, curling into a small ball with her back to Sasuke. Her shoulders were shaking, and although very faint, Sasuke could hear little breathless sobs that racked her petite body. As if in a dream, Sasuke cautiously walked and stood over her.

"_No_! Go away! I… I _hate_ you!" she shrieked, and in a fit of rage, flung water backwards at him. Her eyes were shaded by her bangs, but the tears dripped down her cheeks mercilessly. Without any notion of what he was doing, Sasuke grabbed both of her hands and tightened his hold. She struggled to free herself, but he was stronger. The blonde deflated immediately, and she was quiet for a while.

"Let _go_ of me," she finally muttered expressionlessly.

"No." He studied her face. Although turned away from him, he could see the trickles of tears running down her cheeks. Her eyes were dead and cold, and somehow, Sasuke felt strangely infuriated. He didn't like this silent, lifeless Naruto. As she said before, it wasn't her. It didn't fit her at all. Sasuke let go of one of Naruto's hands. Then… Then, with his one freed hand, he…

Brought it up to wipe away her tears.

Both of them were, needless to say, taken aback.

At last, Naruto broke their trance by taking a stunned step away. "I… I…" she stammered, cerulean eyes now wide with shock.

"Why do you care so much for me?" Sasuke murmured, bewildered. "You act so different from the other girls. Or is it because this is just another new way to get my attenti—"

"No!" she whispered wildly. "No! That's not _it_!" The little blonde stopped talking, and one hand came to rest on her chest. Naruto had felt her heart do little weird flips when he touched her cheeks, and she didn't like it. It wasn't reasonable. It wasn't _realistic_. She barely knew him! Yet… Yet why_ was_ she so concerned about him? "I don't understand either, Sasuke. I _don't_! Is this what amnesia does to you? That you feel an emotion every time you look at some stranger? But…" Her voice trailed off. "But I didn't feel it with other people!" she wailed.

Sasuke blinked, staggered. He raised an arm towards her, but she just took another timid step back. He gave up, and his arm came to rest on his side tiredly. "What do you mean by emotions, dobe?" Sasuke asked afterwards.

"I… I…" Naruto stuttered. She then locked eyes with Sasuke. Cerulean stared into onyx, and Sasuke felt something stir in the air – it was like electricity was flowing through him, and he…

Naruto shook her head violently, and her bangs covered her eyes once more, breaking the link. "I know you from somewhere. I _know_ I do," she then mumbled. "I don't care if that's not sensible. I don't _care._"

He was at loss of what to say. Sasuke felt a jolt of surprise. When did _he_ start worrying about what he was supposed to say? He _never _spoke. But looking at Naruto, he wished he had more experience in this area. He wanted to comfort her so bad, it… hurt him…? Sasuke didn't understand. But he still tried. "I was training to beat niisan."

Naruto looked up sharply at him, and something – curiosity, probably – sparkled a little in her eyes. If Sasuke were a normal boy, he would've smiled. The little blonde was finally looking alive once more. "I need to beat him," the raven-haired boy continued. "I want…"

Silence.

"You want…?" Naruto murmured in a childish voice, eyes wide and big.

Sasuke blushed for no reason. "I want Father to acknowledge me. I want him to say, 'That's… That's my boy.'" The raven-haired boy felt his throat thicken up, and he repressed the urge. No! He won't… simply _won't_ cry in front of her!

He felt something touch his arm.

Naruto smiled sincerely up at him – her fury completely gone – and her hand was gently resting on his elbow. "Sasuke, if that's why you train your ass off everyday, it's not worth it. Your father _is_ proud of you. He's just not one to show it. I met him; I should know."

"Then why is he always telling niisan that? Why does he never… never pay any interest in me?" His voice, oh how he hated it! Pathetic, that's what it was. Uchiha Sasuke, number one in his class, was now seeking comfort in a _girl_.

"Sasuke." He looked at her questioningly. "Sasuke, tell him." The boy blinked, not comprehending, and Naruto smiled thinly. "I told you. Your father, just like you and Itachi-niichan, isn't very good at showing his feelings. Why don't you tell him then? That you want him to be proud of you? That you want him to realize that you _are _his son, one hundred percent? That…" Naruto grinned. "That you're _just_ as good as your brother?"

Sasuke reddened. _She's quick to catch on_. "It's not like that," he mumbled despondently.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "It isn't? Sasuke, don't ask me why I know this, but…" She looked away, staring at the surface of the lake. There was something sinister about its beauty, and Naruto felt herself being washed in huge tidal waves of melancholy. Her cerulean eyes took a distant look, and when she spoke, her voice echoed with grief. "If you don't tell your father this now, you might never."

"What… What do you mean?" he whispered, daunted by how mature and anguished this young girl now looked.

She gave him a small smile. "You know the saying 'it's never too late?'"

"Y-yeah?"

The little girl shrugged nonchalantly. "Don't believe in that crap. It's not true. Not _one_ tiny bit of it. There's a time limit to everything, and well, if you don't grab the chance when it's there, you might never get the opportunity again. Nothing lasts forever." Naruto frowned.

Sasuke clenched his hand. "I get what you're talking about, but I don't think I'm just ready yet to do that. I…" He bit the inside of his cheeks, scowling. Sasuke then looked shyly across at the blonde, and her eyes met his again. They were such beautiful sapphire gems, and how they glittered with unspoken splendor and life! He had never met a girl like Naruto, and he doubt he ever will.

Naruto suddenly broke the seriousness of their conversation by bursting out laughing. "Oh dear, look us both! Not even eight, and we're already talking about the future." She giggled, and with a swift motion, gave Sasuke a hug that he couldn't dodge. Not that he really wanted to, but hell, he was never gonna admit that. "Thanks, _teme_.And sorry. I'm sorry for losing my temper again. I do that a lot, ne?"

Sasuke frowned fiercely. "Hn." He hurriedly broke away from Naruto's embrace. "And for the record, dobe, I'm eight. It's August; my birthday's in July."

Naruto's mouth popped open. "What? Get out! Hokage-jiji told me that mine is in October! Dammit, you're older than me."

The raven-haired boy smirked. "Usuratonkachi. Let's head back now, dobe." He started walking towards the direction of the house, and Naruto ran to catch up. Sasuke suddenly remembered what he wanted to ask her. "Oi, dobe." She pursed her lips inquiringly, tipping her head sideways. "What were you doing out here so late?"

"Oh…" She scowled. "Nightmare." He had to hide a snort. But his humor rapidly disappeared when Naruto replied sassily, "You were in it."

"…"

"Don't be surprised, _teme._ You'll haunt all my dreams for the rest of my life."

"Hn."

_There's a time limit to everything, and well, if you don't grab the chance when it's there, you might never get the opportunity again. Nothing lasts forever…_

_Don't lose him._

**XXX**

"Oi, Naruto!"

The little blonde turned around, smiling widely. "Kiba-kun! Shika-chan! Aka-chan!" Indeed, Kiba was running towards her with Akamaru sitting on his head as usual. Shikamaru followed, sighing forlornly, but other people were behind him as well this time. Naruto recognized two of the other four. "Chouji! Shino!"

Kiba quickly caught up with Naruto and threw her a grin. "Yo! Lovely morning, ne? Ah yes, so you remembered. New group members!" He pointed to a shy, frightened girl with white eyes and choppy, purple hair. "Naruto, meet Hinata."

"O-ohayo, Naruto-chan," the girl mumbled bashfully.

Naruto smiled sweetly. "Ohayo, Hina-chan."

Kiba snorted and rolled his eyes. He then pointed to an expressionless boy with long, straight hair the same color as Hinata's. To be exact, his eyes were the same shade of white too… "This is Neji, Hinata's cousin." He whispered only for Naruto to hear, "Be careful. For unknown reasons, he _detests_ Hinata. Keep away from him. He's a grade higher than us. We just sometimes walk together because he lives where Hinata lives." Naruto nodded, absorbing in this fact.

"Ohayo, Neji-san," the blonde said. No response. Naruto sweatdropped. Argh, joy… Another Sasuke. Kiba seemed to have read Naruto's expression, and he shot her a wry grin.

"So, Naru-chan." Scowl from Naruto. "Aw, c'mon, don't be such a party pooper, _Naru-chan. _Anyhow, where's His Royal Bastardness this morning?" Naruto had to crack a smile. The nickname fit Sasuke perfectly.

"Pfft. He left the house early with Uchiha-san," the little blonde lied airily. "When I woke up, Mikoto-neechan told me Sasuke-teme was gone. They had some sort of Uchiha meeting thingy." Not true – Sasuke was still sleeping back at the Uchiha estate. Naruto was _supposed_ to have woken him up, but upon entering his bedroom and looking at his wan face, she couldn't do it. That bastard needed his sleep, and bad. Who cares if he were sour with her the next time he saw her? It's better than having him faint again and possibly not even wake up.

"How troublesome," Shikamaru muttered.

"I… I hope S-Sasuke-kun g-get b-better," Hinata whispered quietly, fidgeting her fingers. Her eyes darted back and forth nervously, as if she were afraid some monster would come and attack them from the bushes nearby. Kiba groaned loudly.

"Oh no, not you too! You're not some kind of Sasuke-kaaaaay obsessed freak are you, Hinata?" he moaned in mock despair. "It's already bad enough that all the other girls in the class are in love with him."

Naruto cleared her throat, raising one eyebrow. "I beg your pardon, Kiba?"

He smirked. "Don't expect me to believe you. You're practically _living _in his house, dude. And you say you aren't attracted to him? Pfft. _Bull_."

Smack. "Shuttup. Just because I'm living in his house doesn't mean I _like _him," Naruto snapped, peeved. "Besides, shouldn't we have more of a brotherly sister relationship since I'm staying in his family?"

Neji spoke for the first time. "You are staying with his family? Whatever for?"

Naruto rolled her eyes. "I can't believe I'm telling you guys this just to prove that I'm not cuckoo for Sasuke-teme. But anyway, I have amnesia. I just arrived in Konoha, and for no apparent reason, Hokage-jiji threw me in the Uchiha estate."

Chouji took time away from eating his chips to say, "Amnesia? Whazzat?"

"Oh how troublesome," Shikamaru said, bored. "Amnesia is memory loss. Naruto means that she lost all her memories."

"Th-that's terrible," Hinata mumbled out, blushing.

Kiba frowned. "Amnesia? I thought that was a lack of sleep. Ain't that right, Akamaru?" The dog barked excitedly.

Shikamaru sighed. "That's _insomnia_, Kiba."

"Oh."

Naruto sweatdropped, and rolled her eyes. "What kind of conversation is this? It's a mixture of randomness and crap."

Kiba sulked. "Hey, that hurts, Naru-chan!"

Twitch twitch. "For the love of the gods, it's _Naruto_, Kiba."

"You said I could call you that when we were alone."

Twitch twitch. "Oh, I see. We are alone and surrounded by six monkeys. I am not aware of that fact."

"Shikamaru doesn't count, you said. And Shino doesn't either. He doesn't talk. Nor should you include Akamaru. Therefore, we are not surrounded by six monkeys."

Twitch twitch. "Alright then. _Three _monkeys."

"Exactly, Naru-chan." She was about to give him another smack on the head when Kiba brightened. "Hey, I remember now! Nee-chan told me that there's gonna be a meteor shower tonight. Wanna come watch it?"

Naruto instantly forgot her irritation and perked up. "Meteor shower? I've never seen one. Well, I don't _remember_ seeing one. When is it?"

Shikamaru answered for Kiba, who obviously did not pay full attention to his sister when she told him that information. "My father said it was around eight. We live fairly close to each other, so maybe we can come to pick you up." Naruto grinned, nodding.

"Thanks!"

Neji cut in to the conversation. "I can't go," he said coolly.

"Aw!" Naruto pouted, frowning. "Why not, Neji-san?"

"I don't want to."

The little blonde's growled, instantly irked. "_No_," she declared.

Neji looked mildly surprised. The others – except for Naruto – were beyond shocked. _She told him no? _

"Excuse me?" the boy asked.

Naruto scowled. "No, you're _going_. Why do you want to be the icy bastard anyways? Don't you understand _socializing_? I mean, look at Shino."

Shino: "…"

The little blonde continued. "Maybe he's not good at socializing, but he still _tries_. He's still participates. Yet, _you_, Neji-san, are just like Sasuke-teme. Trying to be the damn ice block of the group. I hate that! Hiding your true emotions, never letting others see your pain… It's crap!" Naruto paused for breath, and began ranting again. "So you will be going. I'll drag you there. Don't even _think_ about saying no." She then added, "And so will Sasuke."

Neji and everyone else: Blink blink.

She looked at Neji expectantly. "Well?" Naruto questioned a bit grumpily.

"…" He then sighed unenthusiastically. "_Fine_."

The others: What. The. _Hell_?!

Naruto grinned. "Good." She gazed at the road, and sighed despairingly. "Argh. There's the school."

Everyone groaned softly. That is, except for Shino and Neji. And Hinata's groan was very soft. She was still too shy – and scared – to make a noise. However, when everyone began running towards the brown building, she gently pulled on Naruto's – well, _Sasuke's_ – shirt. The little blonde looked at Hinata inquisitively.

"Hina-chan?" she asked softly.

Hinata looked bashfully on the ground, and her face became scarlet. "Um… Naruto-chan, I just want to say… _Thank_ you."

"What… What for?"

"For giving Neji-niichan a chance to socialize, I… I suppose. He's a lonely person, you see…" Hinata looked like she was about to cry, and Naruto's cerulean eyes softened. The blonde's face split open into a big grin.

"No problem, Hina-chan!" she said cheerfully. "It was my pleasure. And you're gonna be there too, right?"

Hinata gave Naruto a small smile. "Y-yes."

"Great!"

"Oi! Naruto! Hinata!" Kiba suddenly shouted from in front of the Academy front doors. "Hurry up or you'll both be taaaaaaardy!" He and Akamaru then darted inside. Naruto winked at Hinata.

"Let's get moving, Hina-chan!"

"H-hai!"

And they ran to the classroom.

**XXX**

Finally! Finally the class was starting to do something with _weapons_ and not the damn book! Naruto could almost feel her heart burst with joy. Then, something in her mind reminded her of Sasuke, and she momentarily felt a bit of guilt when she realized that he was at home while she was at school throwing shurike—

Who cares about that bastard? Sheesh!

'Iruka smiled at the cheering class. "All right, everybody. I'll read your partners' names for you. Please go outside to the training grounds and line up after your name has been called. Kiba, Shikamaru, Chouji! Shino, Hinata…" And so forth. Finally, Naruto's name was called. "Naruto, Ino, and Sakura!"

Inner Naruto: WHAT?? Sob sob... Nuuuuuu!!

Ino was a bubbly mass of glee when the three of them walked towards the training ground. "Can you believe it? We're a team! This is the best!" The girl looked at Naruto, frowning. "Where's Sasukaaay-kun? He's not sick, is he? Mebbe I should go over to visit him…?"

Inner Naruto: NOOOOOOOO!!

"Uh… He has a meeting with his dad somewhere. Don't worry; he'll be back to school tomorrow," Naruto hastily said. "No need to go visit."

Ino looked disappointed. "Oh." Then she noticed the quiet Sakura. "What's the matter, Sakura? You haven't said anything…"

Sakura smiled bashfully. "It's nothing…"

Naruto tipped her head to one side, pondering. "Ne, do you guys know how to throw shuriken?" she asked.

Ino grinned. "Yea! My dad taught me."

"N-no… I'm afraid I'm not very good," Sakura muttered. "What happens if I screw up?"

"Then you screw up," Ino replied matter-of-factly, not being very helpful. But Naruto felt sympathetic for Sakura, and the little blonde patted Sakura's arm.

"It's gonna be okay, Sakura-chan," she reassured. "Just focus on your target and throw. It's very simple, actually. Besides, it's gonna be my time trying to do it in a very long time. I had forgotten how to throw." The pink haired girl gave Naruto a grateful smile.

"Whatever!" Ino said huffily. "We're here."

To Naruto's intense horror, Iruka spent thirty minutes stressing to the class on what they must _not _do. Naruto had almost died from boredom. _Where are we gonna practice?? _the poor blonde thought in hopelessness. _This is the worst!_ At last, the young teacher clapped his hands.

"All right! Everyone, find a target and get moving!"

Yay…? _Naw_.

Ino nominated herself to go first and second _and_ third. Sakura and Naruto looked like scarecrows as they stood there, watching at Ino throw shuriken after shuriken. _Not that she was bad…_ Naruto thought. _Most of her shuriken hit the drawn target against the rock wall. But argh! This. Is. So. Dreary… _Suddenly, Kiba from across the grounds caught Naruto's eye, and he gave her an all-knowing grin. Curse him! Luckily, Iruka saw Naruto's scowl and he came over.

"Something wrong, girls?" he asked. Iruka then looked at Ino who had all the shuriken in her hands, and he realized the situation. "Why, Miss Ino! You aren't going to let Sakura-chan and Naruto-chan here a chance to try out throwing?"

Ino replied innocently, "But Sakura-chan doesn't know how!"

"And Naruto?"

Ino glanced at Naruto. "Do you?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Mebbe."

Iruka said sternly, "Then how about you try it out? Please let Naruto-chan try it out, Ino-chan."

"Hai."

Naruto stepped up and took the four throwing stars from Ino. She stared at it, mesmerized. Something was tugging at her consciousness, and she felt the same pounding in her head that she had in the hospital a while back. That's right… She did know how to throw. What she told Kakashi and Hokage-jiji wasn't a lie. She did remember… It was the matter of letting her body take over and…

Thud. Clink. Clink. Clink.

When she opened her eyes again, she was aware that every eye was on her or the target drawing. Even Iruka was in bewilderment. For when Naruto threw the first shuriken, it had hit smack in the middle – bull's eye. But the astounding thing was the next three that were thrown. They had hit the first shuriken – which was embedded deep into the rock – straight on and bounced right off. One hundred percent accuracy.

Ino was the first to break the silence. "No _way_! Naru-chan… How did you manage to do that? You… you can throw with the same accuracy as Sasuke-kun!"

Naruto looked just as surprised. "I… I don't know. This is… I…" She stopped, frowning. "I know that I can fight. But I don't remember _how_."

Iruka raised his eyebrows. "No matter. It must be something with your amnesia. Next week, Naruto, we'll see just how good you are. Until then, class is dismissed!"

_Walking home…_

Kiba was _insane_. "Dude! That was _wicked_! Didja see everyone's faces? Awesome, Naruto! How the hell didja do that? It rocked butt, man!"

She sighed. "For the umpteenth time, Kiba, I don't know. You guys are so—"

"Troublesome?" Shikamaru muttered. "Now you know how I feel."

Naruto grinned. "Sheesh. It's not my fault you're so smart, Pineapple-chan!"

He winced ever so slightly. "That pineapple thing again?"

Kiba laughed wildly.

Naruto smiled, and then gave another sigh. "Well, I'd better head home now. When are you guys gonna pick me and Sasuke up tonight? Eight?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "It kinda depends. When do you want us to pick you up?"

She thought fast. "Seven thirty? So we can have time to get ready for the meteor showers? That okay with you?"

Kiba grinned, and Akamaru yapped excitedly. "No problem! Wait for our shouts or something, because well…" He looked a bit nervous. "We're a bit afraid to go into _his _home, if you catch my drift."

Naruto smirked. "All right then. I'll make sure his Bastardness won't gobble you all up when we meet. Until then, have a nice day!" She ran off, waving.

**XXX**

Naruto was rummaging through the kitchen. The blonde, before opening the refrigerator, was strangely wary of some unknown red-shaped ball that suddenly appeared in her mind. Her head had begun spinning again, and… and when she opened the damn refrigerator… There it was, the picture that her mind had conjured up for no reason.

Tomatoes. Mountains of _tomatoes_.

Inner Naruto: -Cries- I is hungry… Me no eat _crap_.

"Argh!" she screamed. "What is this? Grr! I'm fricking hungry, and I see shit in the refrigerator! Woe… I'm drowning in my sorrows…" Naruto banged her head against the door of the refrigerator in exasperation.

Unexpectedly, without warning—

Heart-stopping, choking bloodlust. Naruto slowly turned around.

"_Dobe_." It was not a pleasant growl. It wasn't even a cute growl.

Uh…oh…

Sasuke stood there looking ready to murder a whole village. Veins were bulging on his forehead, and oh, the fire that burned in his eyes… Naruto gulped. For the first time, she was feeling a sliver of fear in the presence of Uchiha Sasuke.

"Eh… hehe…Af…afternoon, Sasuke… -kun?" Naruto mumbled out, taking a frightened step back. "Glad to see you… _awake_."

Bloodlust. "Why. Didn't. You. _Wake_. Me."

Shiver. "Er, you see, I happened to wake very late, and I thought that you were already up so I like grabbed lunch and left and didn't realize that you were still home and when I did find out, it was at school so I couldn't do anything and so that's the reason why I didn't wake you up." Naruto mentally winced. That was the worst lying she had ever heard.

Sasuke apparently thought so too. One vein on his forehead looked very close to exploding and releasing the monster that was being held back. The little blonde desperately thought of something to distract him. What… What… What — oh!

"ShikamaruandKibainvitedustoseemeteorshowers," Naruto hastily spat out.

The diversion, to Naruto's relief, worked. Sasuke blinked in puzzlement.

"What, dobe?"

"Shikamaru and Kiba asked us to see meteor showers tonight," the blonde said, pronouncing each word with care. Sasuke opened his mouth to protest, but Naruto beat him to it. "And you're going. So is Neji-san. You guys can make an emo club while you're at it."

Blink. "Neji? As in, Hyuuga Neji?" Sasuke's voice sounded amazed.

Naruto nodded slowly. "Yes, older cousin of Hinata. So you actually know Neji-san? That's quite astounding, seeing that you're socially challenged."

Scowl. "He's the best of the class in the year above us. So I heard of him before. He's a prodigy of the Hyuuga Clan."

"Oh."

There was an awkward silence, and then Sasuke said simply, "I'm not going."

Twitch twitch. "Really? Why not?"

"I don't want to."

It was Naruto now who was radiating bloodlust. "Isn't this _amusing_? I can swear that those were the very words in which Neji-san used to tell me this morning. Guess my answer to him… _**No**_." She glared at Sasuke, daring him to complain or decline again. However, his look of surprise was for another reason.

"You… You don't him _no_?" His voice was flabbergasted. "You… You, a mere dobe… _You_ of all people actually told Neji _no_?"

Bloodlust. "And?" Her words sounded rather forced out. "The point you're making…?"

"And you didn't get _hurt_? Neji… Neji, he said _yes_?"

Twitch twitch. "No, genius, he told me no. That's why he's _going_," Naruto sarcastically snapped. "Isn't the world _grand_?"

Grimace. Cringe. Wince. "All right. I get your point."

"_And_?" Her voice was coated with venom.

"And… And I'm _going_. Happy?" He scowled fiercely at her, cheeks tinged with pink. Naruto was swiftly all smiles, and the grin she had almost split her face in two. She quickly grabbed Sasuke's hand and dragged him out of the kitchen.

"D-Dobe, what the hell of you doing? Let go!" Sasuke growled in disgust. "Where the hell are you pulling me to?"

"Outside," was the reply. "You're treating me to an afternoon snack."

"WHAT?!"

Twitch twitch. "You heard me, teme. I'm _hungry_."

Scowl. "A wonderful invention called the refrigerator. There's food in _there_, usuratonkachi."

"Tomatoes hardly count as food, baka."

Sasuke shook off her hold on his forearm and glared at her. "They're healthy."

She turned around and stared at him with the same level of hostility. "They're _veggies_, teme. No way am I eating _veggies _for my damn snack. Understood?" Naruto didn't wait for his answer. "Good. Let's go, yarou, or are you too dumb to move?"

Scowl. "Dobe."

"Call me what you want," she replied cheekily. "But just get food in my stomach."

"…" Pause. "For the record, dobe, tomatoes are _fruits_."

**XXX**

_Ramen_.

She liked _ramen_.

There was absolutely _no_ way.

Sasuke had brought her to Ichiraku Ramen simply because he wanted her to complain and go on and on about eating the crappy food, and he would reply with a "Let go home and eat the healthy _tomatoes _now." But it didn't turn out like that.

_Ramen_.

She liked _ramen_.

Joy to the world.

The poor raven-haired boy watched Naruto down bowl after bowl of the injurious noodles. And she wouldn't stop. It was like her stomach was made of rubber or something. It just kept on expanding and expanding and expanding…

_Ramen_.

She liked _ramen_.

He could not get that thought out of his head.

"Another bowl of miso soup, onegai, ji-san!" Naruto cried, mouth still full of ramen from her last bowl.

Grimace. Cringe. Wince. Sasuke cleared his throat. "Naruto." She didn't hear him. "_Naruto_," he said through clenched teeth. The blonde glanced at him.

"Nani, teme?"

"Don't… Don't you think eight bowls of ramen is _enough_, dobe?" He glared at her coldly.

Naruto snorted loudly. "Pfft. You serious? I can eat at least eight more. I never tasted ramen before… I never knew it tasted so good!" The blonde stopped, thought for a while, and jumped up. "I got it! Sasuke, how much money do you have?"

Grimace. Cringe. Wince. "Not saying."

She glowered at him. "I want you to buy me enough to last me the whole week."

Grimace. Cringe. Wince. "And just how much is that…?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. A pack of them, I guess?"

"A… a _whole _pack?"

In the end, it didn't turn out as bad as he thought it would be. One whole pack equaled only thirty. Sasuke was expecting something around fifty. Thank the gods it was only thirty…

_Not._

How he ended up holding the bags filled with ramen, Sasuke did not know. He glowered fiercely at the dobe in front of him who was blithely skipping through the streets, singing a happy tune. She stopped every few feet to talk to a stranger or to pet an animal. Sasuke tried his very best to pretend that he didn't know her. It was quite hard, seeing that in between Naruto would remember him and turn around to chat to him.

"Ne, ne, Sauske-teme?"

Grimace. Cringe. Wince. "_What_?"

"Sheesh. I'm not a bug, you know. Don't treat me like one. I was thinking, do you know any good places to just sit down and rest? I'm tired."

Inner Sasuke: _You're _tired? _You're _tired? _I'm_ the one holding twenty pounds worth of the _shit_ that you're gonna feast on for this week! And _you're_ telling that _you're_ tired?

But he didn't say that. For that would've earned him a very hard smack on the head, and Sasuke didn't feel like getting one right now. "Hn," he answered. "Not really."

She sulked, cerulean eyes growing wider and wider. "You're the emo guy. You should at least have _some _place where you get all depressed and just think, you know…"

"I'm not _emo_, dobe."

"Hai, hai, your Bastardness."

Grimace. Cringe. Wince. "Y-your Bastardness?"

"Sure. Kiba-kun made that nickname for you."

"Kiba?" His voice sounded confused, and Naruto sighed despondently.

"You don't know who that is, do you?"

Scowl. "No."

The blonde threw her hands up in the air in disgust, and began waving them wildly around. "What are you, _blind_? Dude—"

Sasuke choked, and something like a laugh and a snort mixed into one came out of his throat. "D-dude?"

Naruto blinked. Then realization dawned in her azure eyes, and she gave Sasuke a quick grin. "Yeah, picked that up from Kiba-kun." She sighed. "Oh dear. I'm becoming more and more like Kiba… And about him. You know, the spiky, brown haired dude? With the dog on his head?"

"Oh." Sasuke narrowed his eyes in thought. "That was a dog?"

Sweatdrop from Naruto. "No, it was a pig."

"That's not what I meant," Sasuke snapped. "I thought that it was just a stuffed animal."

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise, and the blonde burst out laughing, hugging her sides as her shoulder shook with mirth. "Kiba? Stuffed animal? Oh gods, if I told him that…" Her voiced dissolved into hysteric giggles. "Lord, how he would kill me…" she muttered to herself, wiping away at her tears. It was then when Sasuke noticed something about her cheeks. He reached out his hand and gently touched her face.

"What are these?" he asked, frowning. His eyebrows were knitted in bewilderment, his eyes clouded with thought. He gently stroked the three faded whisker markings on both of Naruto's cheeks. "They look like fox whiskers."

Naruto tipped her head to one side and pouted. "My face? Where?" She looked around the stores for a mirror and ran up to it. She gasped when she saw her reflection. "Why, teme, you're right! I never noticed them before. They're like really old scars or something…"

He walked up to her. "You didn't notice them?"

"No. Why would I? I hardly look in a mirror anyways."

"What?" He was shocked. "You don't? But… But don't all girls do that?"

"There it is! The sexism that boys all seem to possess," Naruto snapped. "Can't you guys just accept that we girls aren't all exactly the same? Sheesh, that Kiba. Assuming that every girl in the damn class has a crush on you." She scowled ferociously at the memory, and Sasuke blinked.

"Me?" he questioned curiously.

Naruto glared at him. "Yes, you. Why do the girls all like you anyways? I mean, you hardly talk. You sit in class and send death vibes off in toxic waves. You'll practically kill them if they overdose on you emoness!" she ranted. "And the damn Kiba, saying that I have a crush on you only because I live with you. What kind of reasoning is that?" The blonde huffed madly and crossed her arms. She made ugly faces at the mirror in front of her, and the store woman decided to keep away from the two children.

Sasuke had no comment. He didn't know how to respond. This… this girl was simply too complicated for him to understand. One day, she acts like a normal girl. Then a child. Then a mature lady. Then a boy. She was just… just too _weird_. And considering all the psycho girls who Sasuke met in class, that was saying a lot.

Naruto sighed after some silence. "Sorry. That musta been awkward for you," she guessed. "Let's go home now, ne, Sasuke-teme?"

The boy shrugged, trying to compose himself. "_Hn_."

**XXX**

"Tadaima!" the little girl said as she walked through the door. Sasuke mentally rolled his eyes and dropped the bags of ramen in the kitchen.

"Do you always have to be so loud, usuratonkachi?" he muttered to himself, but she still heard him.

"Well duh." Naruto sniffed indignantly. "Dude, your house is too quiet. It needs some noise. Why don't we invite people over?"

A look of pure terror flashed through Sasuke's face before he bellowed, "WHAT?!"

Naruto covered her eyes delicately. "Dude, super hearing? I can hear you just fine. And who was the one talking about being too loud, teme?" The girl then sighed. "I didn't mean your fan girls, Sasuke-yarou. I can hardly stand them either. But I meant like, you know, the boys. To get to know them better." She scowled. "To at least memorize their _names_, teme."

"I don't want to," he said. "They're too—"

"Troublesome?" Naruto cut in just like Shikamaru did earlier in the day. She laughed merrily. "That's what life is all about, Sasuke."

He glared at her, not comprehending her sudden happiness. "So?"

"So that makes you emo." He glowered, and Naruto shot him a grin. "Don't worry. As I said earlier, you and Neji can form a club. I'll join just for the heck of it." She laughed again, snorting at the thought, and her laugh hung joyously in the air. Sasuke made an angry face, but Naruto ignored him.

"Naruto? Sasuke? Are you guys home yet?" Mikoto and Fugaku appeared at the doorway, and their eyes widened at the scene that greeted them. Naruto sat on the kitchen table, her cerulean eyes twinkling as a smirk twitched mockingly in the corner of her lips. Sasuke was leaning against the refrigerator door, rolling his eyes just as the couple came in.

No. Way.

However, the mood changed quickly. Sasuke straightened up instantly, and Naruto jumped of the table with haste, landing gracefully on her feet. She dusted her black shorts and looked up shyly at Mikoto and Fugaku.

"Mikoto-neesan, Uchiha-san," she murmured coyly, curtsying and pretending that nothing had happened before the two came in.

"Kaa-san, tou-san," Sasuke said with the same respect.

Fugaku played along, since Mikoto was still too surprised to make a sound. "Good day. We were wondering what took you guys so late. School ends at around three, but now it's already six thirty."

"Crap!" Naruto burst out. She then reddened as Fugaku raised an inquiring eyebrow. "I mean, that is _most_ unfortunate." Inner Sasuke doubled over with laughter at Naruto's acting.

"May I ask why?" the Uchiha lord said calmly.

"Er, well you see, Uchiha-san," Naruto explained courteously. "Sasuke-san and I are going to see a meteor shower with our friends tonight at eight. I had no idea that it was already six thirty. It made me wonder what I had actually _accomplished_ today."

Sasuke had to hide a laugh by pretending he had a really bad sneeze. Naruto wasn't fooled, and she shot him a venomous glance behind the two parents' backs. He smartly averted his eyes from her accusing glare.

Mikoto got enough of her voice back to whisper, "I heard you say 'Sasuke and I.' Sasuke, do you mean…"

He scowled fiercely, and it was Naruto's turn this time to hide the laugh. "Yes, Mother, I'm going as well."

It was too much for the poor mother. She wavered dangerously, and Fugaku had to steady her by placing his hands on her shoulders. "I can't believe it…" she murmured afterwards. "That's a miracle…"

Scowl from Sasuke. Snort from Naruto.

"Tadaima…"

Itachi appeared in the room, and he nodded to the four of them. "Otousan. Okaasan. Otouto. Imouto."

Naruto blinked, and then she smiled widely. "Imouto? _Sister_? Hontoni? You really mean it?"

The older of the two Uchiha brothers looked mildly surprised. "Of course. Or do you prefer for me to call you—"

Glomp.

There was a big clang and the sound of two head knocking loudly against each other was heard. Itachi fell over onto the ground, and Naruto ended up in his lap. "Not at all, Ichi-niichan!" she squealed. "Welcome home!" The girl ignored the bump that was sporting speedily on her forehead and hugged the stunned Itachi tightly again.

Sasuke _was _flabbergasted, but his amazement was nothing compared to the two parents. After all, it was their first time seeing Naruto and Itachi in the same room. Sasuke had experienced it at least once. And the lightheadedness that struck the two parents dumb… It gave them quite a headache, and Mikoto – with Fugaku this time – decided to call their eye doctor.

"Ne ne," Naruto then said, grinning. "Itachi-niichan, wanna come see the meteor shower with us tonight?"

"Us?" was his questioning answer.

"Yeah, me and Sasuke."

Itachi looked at Sasuke, who became pink. "Otouto, you're attending?"

"Yes, niisan."

Itachi was always a man of few words. But on this rare occasion, he was a man of no words.

"Well?" Naruto asked, tipping her blonde head sideways. "Your answer, Ichi?"

"I… I have work to do."

"Aw!" she pouted. "No fairs!" Naruto got off of Itachi's body and walked over to Sasuke. "Oi, teme, do you wanna eat dinner now? Or are you still full?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Dobe, you're the one who ate ramen crap. I was merely observing you gulping the shit down."

Smack. Sasuke nursed his bruising head, scowling. Naruto glared at the injured raven boy in dislike. "Don't insult my ramen, teme. A mere shitty human like you cannot understand the beauty of such a thing like ramen."

"Hn," he replied sulkily. "Whatever."

Mikoto, Fugaku, and Itachi: What… is going on…?

Naruto finally seemed to have remembered there were other people present in the room, and she gave out a little gasp. "My deepest apologies, Mikoto-neesan, Uchiha-san," she cried, bowing hastily. "I beg your pardon…"

Fugaku cleared his throat. "Yes, no matter. Ano, Naruto, the Hokage came by today. He asked how you were faring. I told him I'd ask you today and give him the answer tomorrow. So, what is your answer, Naruto?"

The little blonde looked thoughtful for a few seconds before grinning widely. "Tell the jiji that everything is awesome, Uchiha-san!" She giggled and stuck out her tongue playfully. "Konoha rocks!"

Fugaku smiled kindly at Naruto. "I'm glad to hear that. I'll make sure to tell Hokage-sama tomorrow."

She nodded happily at him. "Mhmm!"

**XXX**

Dinner was a cheerful event for the first time in the Uchiha family. Naruto was the main center of the fountain of joy. She would blubber speedily to the frowning Sasuke for a while, flip to chatting animatedly with the impassive Itachi, then talk civilly to Fugaku, and finally converse sweetly with Mikoto. It seemed like she had no end to her train of thought; she could've rattled on for hours and hours if it weren't for the shouting of one obnoxious classmate.

"Oi!! Naruto! Get your butt out here!" came the all too familiar voice. A dog yipping furiously confirmed Naruto's guess.

"Kiba!" she gasped happily. "It's Kiba!" The blonde leapt out of her chair and dashed to the window before rolling it up. Sure enough, a crowd of people stood in front of the street. "Everyone's here!"

Kiba grinned. "'Cept for you, Naru-chan. C'mon, let's go! It's gonna start in about thirty minutes. I don't wanna miss it." Akamaru barked, wagging his white tail furiously.

"How troublesome," came Shikamaru's tired response. "And so noisy too. Can we just get this over with?"

Meanwhile, however, the girls were very busy gushing over the fact that they were very close to Sasuke's house. Their delighted squeals reminded Naruto of pigs, and she sweatdropped. Oh dear… Turning, she looked questioning at the suddenly pale Sasuke. "Teme, chickening out?"

His glare said clearly that he wanted to throttle her. "No!"

Giggling, she said, "Betcha that you'll snap sometime tonight."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah!"

Sasuke thought for a while. "How much you wanna bet?"

"Hmm… If I win, you hafta treat me to another lunch-ish snack in Ichiraku Ramen. If I lose…" Here, she wrinkled her nose and made a disgusted face. "I'll eat _five _filthy tomatoes. Ne? Deal?"

The grin that shot across Sasuke's face was alarmingly rare and startling, but Naruto decided it fit on his face perfectly. If only he'd smile more… "Deal!" he said, and stood up. "Excuse us, niisan, kaasan, tousan."

Naruto ran over, grabbed Sasuke's hand, and was out the door in a blink of an eye. "Ittekimasu!"

Mikoto wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. She shared a happy, brief look with her husband before shaking her head and standing up to clear away the table. "She's the hope for Sasuke, that Naruto," the woman whispered. "Hokage-sama was right when he put her in our family. Thank the gods for giving us such a blessed child. Thank the gods…"

**XXX**

No.

No.

And more no.

He was _not _gonna snap.

He _wasn't_. Period.

The girls squealing and trying to cuddle by his side… He was going to _ignore _them and _not _snap.

No.

No.

And more no.

There was no frigging way that he'll treat Naruto again at Ichiraku Ramen. It's like letting a monster off its leash. Seeing her eat that crap… It freaked him out. And freaking out an icy bastard like Uchiha Sasuke was very hard.

No.

No.

And more no.

Meanwhile, Naruto was just lying on the grass contentedly. Finally, some peace as Kiba was chasing the others around. A fresh breeze floated over and ruffled her hair ever so playfully. It was nice, to be surrounded by so many dear friends. The sense of comfort and security that bound her… She had never felt this way before, and she only knew that she didn't want it to stop.

"You invited me over for this?" asked a cool voice. Naruto's eyes snapped open, and she stared into Hyuuga Neji's face.

She grinned. "Yo, Neji-san. I'm so glad that you came!" The boy sat down next to Naruto and looked at her in some sort of mild amusement.

"I remembered that I had almost no choice but to come, Naruto," he replied softly. His eyes were such a clear shade of white, Naruto noticed. They reminded her of water in a glass. Pure and mystical. The blonde sat up so she could talk to him easier.

"I get the notion that you feel regret at coming, Neji-san," Naruto giggled.

"I believe you would be correct. There is nothing happening for the time being."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "The meteor shower is at eight, Neji."

"I'm aware of that fact."

Snort. "Then what's your point?"

"My point?" Neji frowned slightly. Naruto's immediate thought: Sasuke. _Say, where was he?_ Neji then questioned, "Why did you invite me over?"

"Me?" Naruto said, surprised. "So you can see the meteor showers."

"But why? You don't know me."

"So I'll know you better, duh," Naruto replied. "What else?"

"I was under the impression that people were afraid of me. It seems that you are different?" Neji asked politely. Naruto blinked once before laughing.

"Oh jeez!" she giggled uncontrollably. "That's what you were thinking? Well, it might be true that people are afraid of your… coldness, but to me, you're just another Sasuke-teme." The blonde shrugged. "You're just like him, didja notice?"

Blink. "I'm afraid I did not."

"That's right. You barely know him. Lemme call that bastard over. Where is he?" Naruto lifted her head and glanced around. She finally noticed a bunch of girls crowded around this object… ah, Sasuke. The blonde smirked. "Why, ain't _he_ the player? Oi, teme!" she shouted. "Ass, here, _now_!"

The raven-haired boy glared at her. He jerked his head at the girls surrounding him, and mouthed something like "How?!" Naruto rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue. That got Sasuke fuming, and he managed push the drooling girls off of him. He quickly jogged over to where Naruto and Neji were.

"Get them away from me," he panted, snarling at Naruto. She glowered back.

"Oh? Lovely. Tell me how, teme."

"I don't know! I'm not a frigging girl!"

Neji cleared his throat. "I may have a solution." Naruto and Sasuke both turned to look at him, and Neji continued. "The girls are suffocating you simply because they want to go out with you, correct?" Sasuke nodded slowly. "Then tell them you already have a girlfriend. But it will work best if you say it's someone that you hang out with a lot, and someone that the girls know."

Sasuke and Neji both glanced cautiously at the Naruto who was blithely unaware of the "girl" Neji was talking about. "The heck…" Sasuke spluttered. "No way!"

Neji replied coldly, "Unless you have someone else." He looked over Sasuke's shoulder. "They're coming."

The raven-haired boy was desperate. "Naruto, play along, okay? I'll pay you back with ramen later! Tell them you're going out with me!"

She finally caught on, and her reaction was not one of the best. "WHAT?! You mean _me_? Sasuke, hell—"

Kiba suddenly appeared. "Shaddup, Naru-chan, and look up! It's starting!" With those words, all activities paused, and every head was tilted upwards towards the sky.

In the beginning, Naruto thought that Kiba was only playing with them. But soon, little streaks of silver flashed in the starry, dark night. Leaving trails of whitish blue, they sparkled with a mysterious joy. Naruto was mesmerized as she stared upward. More and more shooting stars emerged in the sky, and the show they put was truly a wondrous sight. Soon, the sky no longer was just light blue; it shone with red, pink, purple, and all the bright colors there were in this world.

"It's beautiful," someone whispered. Naruto smiled – beautiful was too shallow of a word for it… no human word can describe such a spectacular thing.

"Sasuke," Naruto murmured to the boy standing beside her. His eyes turned to meet hers, and the blonde gave him a small smile. "It makes you feel kinda small, doesn't it? This event hosted by the heavens?"

His eyebrows furrowed. "I suppose… It does, now that you've mentioned it." Sasuke fell silent, and suddenly, he felt a hand grasp his. He looked at Naruto in surprise, and she rolled her eyes.

"It's good for pretending while you're at it," she giggled softly. Then her cerulean eyes became serious. "Ne, ne, Sasuke-teme? Do you believe in other worlds? Do you think that they exist?" Her face was deep in thought when she said these words.

Sasuke glanced at her to see if she were joking, but the frown on her face said otherwise. "I don't know," he answered truthfully. "Why do you ask?"

"Because… Because what happens if I'm not from this world?"

The boy started and realized the girl's eyes were worried and quite frightened. He squeezed her hand reassuringly. "That doesn't matter. You're still Naruto. That part doesn't change, dobe."

"R-really? You mean it?"

"I mean it."

She smiled genuinely. "Thank you, Sasuke-teme."

"Hn."

They resumed back to watching the sky in silence, and Naruto decided that if this peace would last forever, how happy she would be… How happy all of them would be… But she knew that it was not the case. The girl knew it completely in her heart.

_Nothing lasts forever._

_Don't lose him._

* * *

3 reviews to motivate me!!

* * *


	4. The Unexpected Happens

* * *

**Chapter 3: The Unexpected Happens**

* * *

"Teme?"

He growled. Not in a nice way, but not in a really bad way either. Just merely acknowledging the fact that he heard her but was not pleased. "Nande, dobe?"

Naruto was sitting on the rug of the family room, head propped up with her hands. It was a gorgeous, spacey room. The curtains were drawn back, letting the sunlight shower in and sparkle the glass table that was elegantly placed in the center of the room. Dazzling paintings hung from the wall, and they seemed to be shrouded in some sort of ancient splendor. However, all this beauty was lost upon Naruto as she sulked, and her lower lip jutted out childishly. "I'm bored, Sasuke-yarou. Amuse me. Do something."

The raven-haired boy lifted his eyes up from his book and glanced at her in annoyance. He was lying on his stomach, resting and reading at the same time. "Amuse yourself, usuratonkachi. I'm not your servant."

"Who said?"

He scowled. "I did. Now shut up."

The blonde glowered. "_Never_."

"Fine then. Whatever." Sasuke resumed back to reading his book, ignoring the girl that was sitting next to him. He flipped a page quietly, and his eyes quickly scanned the pictures. It was a book talking about the history of the Uchiha Clan, and although he read it at least a billion times, there was nothing to do. The dobe had summed it up perfectly – it was just a normal spring break with nothing to do. Father and niisan were both at an ANBU meeting, and Mother was at a friend's house, leaving Naruto and Sasuke alone at home.

Naruto was not at all happy from being disregarded, and she took the matter in her own hands. Grabbing the book, she threw it on the couch and sat on Sasuke's back before he could make a sound. "Play with me," she pouted, arms crossed.

"Wha… Wha… _Dobe!_ Get off of me!" Sasuke choked out, gasping for breath. The little blonde shook her head.

"_No_. Not unless you play with me."

"What are you? _Two_?" Sasuke muttered, cringing as he felt his spine bend in the most uncomfortable way. "Get off!"

"Not unless you play with me, teme," Naruto repeated, jabbing Sasuke's head with one finger. "Kay?" She poked him harder. "Answer me!"

He had no choice but to obey. "Fine! Fine! Just get off!"

Naruto giggled and rolled off of Sasuke. "Yay! Let's go to Ichiraku Ramen!"

Sasuke seemed to remember something, and as he got on his feet, he smirked at the happily bouncing Naruto. "That reminds me, dobe. Whatta bout our bet from last week? You still didn't eat the tomatoes yet."

She froze in midair, and when she landed, the little stunned girl fell on her rear end. "Owie!" she cringed. Then horrified, Naruto begged, "Nuuuuu!! Sasuke-teme, don't make me!!"

Smirk. "A deal's a deal, dobe."

The expression on her tanned face was a mixture between a glare and a sulk. "What? Aww…Please?" He shook his head firmly, and Naruto huffed. "All right! Five, right? No more."

Sasuke grinned, and once more Naruto was shocked at how… – cough, _nice_ – he looked when he was actually smiling. "Go get them in the refrigerator," he ordered. Naruto slowly walked over and morosely opened the door to the refrigerator. However, her face brightened instantly.

"No tomatoes! Yatta!" she shouted, punching a fist in the air. Sasuke blinked in surprise and dashed over. It was true. The refrigerator was completely empty.

He sighed. "That means we go shopping, dobe. Don't be so happy."

The response he got was totally unexpected. "What? We're going out to _shop?_" Her gleeful shout resounded throughout the whole room. "_Hooray_! I wanna buy candy! And ramen! And more candy! And more ramen!" Naruto clapped her hands together, cerulean eyes shining like two bright stars. "Let's go, Sasuke-teme!" And she dragged the protesting boy out of the house.

**XXX**

Glare. "Me want candy."

"No."

Glare. "Me want ramen."

"No."

Glower. "Me no like you."

"That's nice."

She growled in frustration, throwing her hands up in the air and stomping around the raven-haired boy. "Dude, the matter with you? What are you gonna buy then, huh?"

"Tomatoes."

Naruto deadpanned. "Why don't you go _marry_ them, teme?"

Sasuke glanced at her, eyes impassive. "Because I'm not a tomato."

The blonde growled again in aggravation. "Argh! Talking with you is a pita!"

He looked at her. "Pita?"

"Pain in the ass," she replied sassily. "You are one anyways. Some day, you need to go ask your brother to get the stick out of your butt. It's killing us all."

Scowl. "Shut it, dobe."

Naruto curled her lip. "_Never_." Then she sighed. "All right then, where's the tomatoes? Let's get this stupid shopping thing over with." Sasuke simply rolled his eyes and walked off, motioning her with a quick wave of his hand to follow. Naruto frowned fiercely, but obeyed. "Teme…"

Sasuke lead the two of them through curving streets. People were all over the place. Naruto was thrown here and there as she tried to keep up with Sasuke's fast march. Once, she was sure that this pervert even touched her butt, but when she told that to Sasuke, he merely shrugged. "Probably a pickpocket." Naruto mumbled heatedly about child abuse, but decided to keep quiet. At last, they stopped in front of a small stand in the midst of the bustling shops. Naruto raised a questioning eyebrow. "It looks pretty small, Sasuke-teme. Are you sure…?"

"We buy from them every time, dobe," was Sasuke's reply. "Their tomatoes are always the freshest."

Naruto smiled thinly. "If you say so. Tomatoes all look and taste the same to me… Well, except in ramen." The little blonde then pointed at the counter. "Dude. Nobody's there. Whatcha gonna do?"

"What else? Wait."

"Oh." Naruto and Sasuke sat down in front of the store and watched the pedestrians hurry by. The little blonde tapped her fingers against the ground in an impatient manner, but Sasuke was quiet. The little girl at times would peek at the boy, who was brooding deeply. His eyes would narrow suddenly, and his eyebrows would twitch. Finally, Naruto asked him, "What are you thinking about?"

He gave a start and blinked rapidly. Sasuke turned his head towards her, onyx eyes now narrowed in confusion. "Eh? What do you mean?"

She tipped her head sideways. "You were thinking. I'm asking about what."

"Oh." He gave a little shake of his head. "Nothing, really."

"Tell me," she persisted, lightly touching his arm. He glanced at her, considering, and then sighed.

"It seriously was nothing, but…" Here, Sasuke reddened just a little. "I was thinking about you."

"_Me_?"

He nodded gravely. "Yeah. Remember what you told me? About that nothing lasts forever, and you might be from another world?" Naruto bit her lip, and Sasuke continued. "Don't you think… I mean, one second, you act like a child, and another… Wait, what I'm trying to say is, you act normal, but there are times when you act strange. So, your amnesia… What happens if someone – or something – took away your memories for a reason? And that you really _aren't_ from this world?"

Her head was feeling very light, and the world spun dangerously. Somewhere in her mind, she knew that Sasuke had spoken the truth. It was coming back… Was it?

One startling memory flashed through her mind.

_Sasuke smirked, and his curse mark slowly receded. "Hm. Seems like I missed you heart. Nice move with your hand. Didn't help much though, did it?" He pulled out his arm that was pierced inside Naruto's body. "You're still out a shoulder and lung. You can't even breathe properly. Forget about using signs or your jutsu." Sasuke's face hardened, and his leer froze in place. With the bloody hand that was free, Sasuke used it to grab Naruto's throat. "It's over."_

_But he was wrong._

_Red chakra consumed Naruto, and the blond-haired boy clenched Sasuke's hand that was on his throat and yanked it off. The chakra swirled round and round the water, and finally condensed into one gigantic form: a fox demon. Naruto's eyes were bloodshot, his markings harsh against his tanned cheeks. The terrible wound that Sasuke inflicted on his shoulder began quickly healing itself, sizzling in the process. With a shudder, Naruto lifted his bloody, tear-stained face and snarled at Sasuke._

_The raven-haired boy, to be exact, was staggered. "What…" Sasuke asked softly. "Tell me, what are you?"_

_Tears dripped down Naruto's face, mingling with his blood. "Your friend."_

_The word rang loud and clear in her mind…_

_Friend._

His voice woke her up from her daze. "Oi! Naruto! Dobe, wake up! _Dobe_!" She felt her shoulder being shaken back and forth, and the little girl blinked.

"Huh?" Naruto asked bleakly. "What… What happened?"

Sasuke looked at her in astonishment, and he waved one hand in front of her face frantically. "Hello? What do you mean, 'what happened?' Dobe, have you…? You… you all of a sudden turned frigid and…"

"I… I did?"

The raven-haired boy gave Naruto a strange look. "Dobe… Are you alright?"

She shook her head hesitantly. "I… I don't know. What did I say?"

Sasuke blushed, and the boy muttered almost shyly, "That – That I was your friend."

A comfortable feeling surged through her, and Naruto tried her very best to remember what had happened. But her mind was blank. Nothing came up, and Naruto sighed miserably. "Nope. I have no clue if that's true or not."

Sasuke frowned. "Well, I heard you. Do you not believe me?" Naruto opened her mouth, and—

The raven-haired boy didn't know whether Naruto would've replied or not, for at that very second, a screeching orange cat – wearing a cute ribbon on one ear – dashed by, yowling its head off. Naruto froze, but the next moment, she was seen running after the cat.

"Wait up! Neko-chan!" she shouted. "Come back! Don't be so scared!" And the girl was gone, disappearing around a corner. Sasuke was stunned only for a mere while. Then, gathering his wits, the boy cursed and followed them hurriedly.

**XXX**

It wasn't her fault that they were in this tight situation.

It simply _wasn't._

She had seen that cute little kitty rush past them, and well, it was _cute_, all right? And it was scared. So she ran after it. No duh. Anyone would if they really could catch it.

'Cept for that Sasuke. That dumb, heartless Sasuke who thinks it was _her _fault that the three of them were in a box.

But as she said, it _wasn't._

The cat was very fast, and it actually jumped onto the rooftops of the shops. Naruto followed, still screaming after it, and Sasuke was right behind them. Could she _help_ it that the cat leaped downwards and accidentally landed into a boxish thing on the ground? Could she _help _it that she actually followed, grabbing Sasuke's hand along the way? Could she _help _it that when they were trying to get out of the damn box, she slipped and grabbed the lid so she had unintentionally locked them in the stuffy "coffin?"

_No._ It wasn't her fault. It couldn't be.

Then why did _he _think it was like that?

"_Dobe._"

She sniffed resentfully. "What?"

His voice was dangerously suppressed. "Move. Your. _Leg_."

"I can't, baka," was her indignant reply. "I barely have room to breathe properly. So shutup, will ya?"

"Then move the cat's butt away from my face."

"I _can't._ It's unconscious, and besides, there's no _room_. Do you understand, teme? We're lying in some container, and we _can't _move no matter how uncomfortable. Ow, what are these packages lying under us?"

"You expect me to know?" he snapped at her. "You're the one who locked us in here."

"Hey! It was an accident. So it ain't my fault."

"Then whose fault is it?"

"That… I… Wait, do you hear that?" Sasuke shot her a glare in the dark, which she obviously did not see.

"Hear _what_?"

"Oh, that's right. I forgot. _You _don't have super hearing. _Obviously_ you couldn't hear them." He could hear the smirk in her voice, and Sasuke was about to blow up when his ears at last picked up the noises.

"All ready?" one feminine voice asked.

"Yes, I do suppose. Let's go home now," a male answered.

"Hai." Some quick swishing sounds were heard, and the male spoke up in a surprised tone.

"Y-you're gonna summon _him_?"

She replied, "Hai. If I don't, it will take a few days to get home. With him, we can make it in a few hours."

"You do know that we have to do him a favor later? And his favors usually aren't light?"

"I am fully aware of that, but Kazekage-sama is not pleased. He is not a patient man; you should know that fairly well."

"I do. Very well. Summon him."

Sasuke and Naruto felt themselves get lifted up in the air as the female muttered, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Something _big_ had appeared under the "coffin," and it growled menacingly. The two children shuddered from inside the box. Okay, calling out for help right now might not go so well…

Suddenly, the sensation of riding on something moving very fast overcame Sasuke and Naruto. They bounced up and down inside the container, and Naruto realized they were going to leave the village. "T-teme…?"

He grunted, licking his dry lips. "Yeah?"

"Wh-where are we going?"

Silence.

"S-Sasuke?"

"I don't know. Just… Just sleep for now, and when we get there, we'll know."

"Al-alright," was her weak answer.

**XXX**

As soon as it was quiet, they tried pushing open the lid. To their intense relief, the two ninja had unlocked it before leaving somewhere to "give the report to the boss." Sasuke and Naruto greedily breathed in gulps of fresh air as they both tumbled out of the box.

Four hours! Four hours of torture inside that airless, stuffy coffin! Naruto vowed that nothing was sweeter than air, and she prayed to the gods gratefully. Sasuke then noticed the scrawny cat under Naruto's arms.

"What are you gonna do about that?" he asked. "It isn't dead, is it?"

Naruto shook her head. "Naw. Just unconscious. And I'mma carry it. Where are we…" Her voice trailed off. She had finally raised her head, and the sight that greeted her…

Two things:

Sand. Sand. And more sand.

Night. Night. And more night.

Naruto's jaw fell open and would've stayed open if it weren't for the night breeze that floated over. The little blonde choked, spitting out grains of sand. "What. The. Heck. Is. This. Place? And why is it _night _already?"

Sasuke's face was pale. "Dobe, we're in Suna. Sand country."

She glanced at him warily. "Is that… far away?"

"It's not that far away from Konoha, but I wouldn't say it's near to Konoha either…"

Naruto summed up their situation. "Basically, we're illegal, immigrant children from Konoha in what might be a hostile place with no money, no food, no adults."

Sasuke blinked, and then cautiously nodded. "Correct."

"_Great_, we're doomed."

"That too, would be correct."

Naruto frowned, but then sighed and reached for Sasuke's hand. He stared at it, suspicious. "Oi, teme," the blonde scolded. "This is so I don't run off again. And standing here ain't gonna help us. Let's find a place to sleep. Neko-chan here is getting too heavy."

He scowled. "Fine." And the boy reluctantly gave Naruto his hand. The two walked hurriedly away from the strange container, which they now could see that it was filled with weapons, and started strolling on the empty streets of Suna. Naruto was amazed at how much sand there was, and simply astounded at how lonely this town seemed to be at night. Konoha had always appeared like a bustling place, even at night. But here in Suna… It was so quiet, so creepy. Naruto gave an involuntary tremble, and Sasuke, realizing why, gave her hand a squeeze. She smiled back at him, and to his immense astonishment, cuddled up to his arm.

"It's freezing," Naruto explained, and she brought the cat's unconscious body closer to theirs, trying to combine the body heat. "Why's it so cold?"

"Because Suna's a desert. There's nothing to trap the heat, except for the sand."

"_Oh_."

They walked silently on, letting the town's melancholy presence engulf them. There was no end to the snakelike black streets. Naruto could almost hear the wind whisper in her ears, "Doom, doom…" and the girl bit her lip in anxiety. Where they ever going to get home? Will she ever see Kiba and the rest of them again? Just as she was contemplating these things and beginning to feel rather hysterical, Sasuke stopped and touched her hand. Naruto looked up, and her face softened, azure eyes suddenly glistening with tears.

The park was such a desolate place, with its little creaky playground in the center. Two small swings moved back and forth with the light breeze, and the moonlight shone drearily upon the sand, making it gleam dully. Naruto had never seen anything so _dead _before, and her heart twisted wretchedly. "It's so empty, so lifeless," she murmured glumly, and her head came to rest on Sasuke's shoulder.

Sasuke glanced at her, a frown on his face. "What do you mean? It's cold outside, and there's barely any light. I really don't think people will be out."

"I know. But still. It feels like this place is only just barely alive. It's clinging desperately on to life; like it wants to live so badly, but something won't let it..." Sasuke gave a start, and stared intensely at the contemplating blonde. The expression on Naruto's face… It was so mature, so sorrowful. But Naruto and Sasuke's thoughts were instantly shattered as jeering and shouting were heard in the distance.

"What do you know? The monster didn't go home yet."

"It's a total piece of shit. The disgrace of our whole village." Mocking laughter was heard, and someone muttered nastily, "Kill it! End its misery!"

Naruto and Sasuke shared a quick look before the two quickly ran towards the direction of the commotion. There, down this big sand hill, were ten men surrounding a small redhead boy. The men were sneering and leering at him, and he just stood there, expression unreadable in the dark. Sand was… swirling around him? However, Naruto didn't think much about it. She could stand it no longer as she saw the leader of the gang raised something like a miniature club up into the air and brought it crashing down down down…

_Look, it's that monster._

_Don't go near it!_

_Seriously, could you imagine if that thing became a ninja?_

_Bakemono…_

With mixed emotions, Naruto threw the cat into Sasuke's arms and dashed down the hill. She leaped in between the redheaded boy and the club, pushing the boy away and waiting for the blow. There was a loud crack, and the blonde felt something trickle down her face. Then the pain came. How it burned! Naruto thought her head would split open, and she bit back a groan. Her fiery cerulean eyes locked with the man's beady brown ones, and she growled.

"Leave him _alone_, kuso yarou," she snapped, lips drawn back into a ferocious snarl. "Back off."

The group was momentarily amazed, but the leader recovered fast. "Well, well," he said, scoffing. "Looks like the monster has its little friend. And what a pretty little girl too." He licked his lips greedily, and the gang chucked.

They never knew what hit them.

The leader's head was smashed against a big rock, and Sasuke threw five shuriken into the group, scattering them like flies. The boy then grabbed Naruto's hand and motioned the redhead to follow. "C'mon, let's go!" The redhead hesitated, but Sasuke gave a quick jerk of his head. "Hurry up!" And they ran away while the gang was still suffering the attack.

**XXX**

Ow.

Ow.

Ow.

It hurt! It ached! It burned! Her head felt strangely swollen, and Naruto wondered if this was heaven. Well, if it were, maybe hell would be better. The blonde growled and used a hand to pinch her arm. It stung.

Okay, either she was alive, or heaven just sucks.

Perhaps it was hell?

No matter. She'll get to the end of it. Naruto snapped open her eyes, and the white ceiling greeted her awake. The little girl flinched as she felt dizziness mix in with the headache. Definitely alive. The afterlife simply _can't _be worse than life, right? But if life were unfair, what would that make heaven or hell?

Why was she thinking about this crap in the first place?

Grumbling madly, she sat up, cringed, and swung her legs over one side of the bed. Suck it up! she thought, Don't be such a wimp! Naruto wobbled upwards and slowly walked over to the door. It was then that she realized three things. One: she was not in Konoha anymore. Two: her head was nicely bandaged. And three: she was not wearing her normal clothes, but rather some sort of weird, white cloak.

Where am I? she reflected. And where's… Sasuke?

Sasuke!

She had totally forgotten about that bastard! Quickly grabbing the doorknob and twisting it open, Naruto hobbled madly into the hallway. She looked around, and despair hung over her. Great… another Uchiha Manor. Why people liked big houses, Naruto did not know. It was such a bother to get around, and cleaning it was a terror. But alas, here she was, standing in the hallway of a home that seemed to be even bigger than Sasuke's house, if it were possible. Sighing forlornly, Naruto picked a direction. Better get started.

Later…

And behold! Just as she had predicted, Naruto got lost, and her headache increased tenfold. Oh, and don't forget that wooziness. The little girl decided irritably that Sasuke should be the one looking for _her_, and that _she_ should be the one resting in the frigging bed. Screw him! Moaning, Naruto climbed the staircase that was to her right. She needed some air badly. And when she opened the door at the very top – which was umpteenth door she had opened that _splendid_ day – her mouth fell open in surprise. She was on the freaking roof, and the house…

It was a hundred times bigger than she thought it was. She felt like she was standing in the sky.

The town of Suna lay open before her, greeting her as it would a Queen. And the town wasn't as desolate as Naruto at first thought it was. Carts and carriages filled the streets, forcing people to jump out of the way as they passed. Little kids – Naruto at first thought they were tiny bugs, being up so high – ran up and down the roads, playing mischievous tricks on merchants, and oh, the sand! With moonlight, it had a dull sparkle, but lo, with sunlight, what beauty and life it possessed! Naruto sighed happily, and walked over to the edge of the roof. The breeze floated over gently, flapping her cloak in such a tender manner.

"Why did you do it?"

Naruto's ears perked up in surprise, and she swiftly turned around. The redhead stood in front of the door that Naruto had just opened. Now, in the sunlight, the little blonde saw that the redhead had skin even paler than Sasuke's, and his eyes were empty and blank, like the sand she saw yesterday night. But Naruto's heart softened just for one second as she saw the little teddy bear that he was holding on to dearly. Nevertheless, Naruto decided to go on "autopilot."

Bowing – and inwardly recoiling at the ache throbbing in her poor, dear head – Naruto said courteously, eyes carefully guarded, "Good morning. I'm afraid I cannot answer your question. I do not know what you are asking of."

A tinge of curiosity was in his voice as he questioned once more, "Why did you jump in front of the club?"

"That would be because the club was going to hurt you," she answered calmly. "Unless I am mistaken, it was going to land directly on your head."

"I could've perfectly defended myself. You know that."

She did another small bow and replied, "If it's a matter of pride, I'm very sorry to have stolen your honor."

A slight frown appeared on his pale lips, and he said softly, "I do not understand. Do you… Are you from this village?"

Naruto thought fast, but she couldn't think of anything to say but the truth. "I'm afraid I am not."

His eyes were mildly taken aback. The hold on his teddy bear tightened, and he brought the stuffed animal up to his chest. "Y-you're not?" he whispered in what seemed to be in fright.

Naruto's big cerulean eyes finally dropped their cloudiness, and she took a hesitant step towards the boy. "Oh I'm so sorry for not telling you," she said, voice now childish. "Don't worry. I won't hurt you."

"Where are you from then?"

"Konoha."

There was a silence, and Naruto's azure eyes met the boy's teal ones. Some sort of understanding passed through them, and Naruto shyly asked, "What's your name? I'm Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto." She smiled encouragingly. "Nice to meet you."

The boy frowned faintly. Then he replied, "Gaara."

Naruto's tan face broke into a grin. "Alright, then, Gaara. Will you help me find Sasuke-teme?"

"S-Sasuke-teme?" Gaara looked at Naruto in bafflement. "Are you talking about one of our servants?"

"Oh no. Sasuke's the boy that was with me yesterday night. Didn't you see him?"

"Him? I don't know. I think – "

"Gaara-sama? Who are you talking to?" A person with tan, shoulder-length hair walked onto the roof. He had a kind face, and he placed a loving hand on the Gaara's arm. "Gaara-sama, it is rather cold outside." Then the person noticed Naruto, and his eyes flickered for a brief moment in surprise. But then they crinkled in a nice, warm smile. "And you must be the miss that Gaara-sama brought home yesterday night. How's your head?"

Naruto had gone on "autopilot" once more. She replied in a civil manner, cerulean eyes showing no emotion, "'Tis healing. Would it be you who bandaged my head? I thank you."

The man smiled again. "It was no big of a deal. I'm glad. And I thank _you _for protecting Gaara-sama. I am Yashamaru. What is your name, little one?"

"Uzumaki Naruto."

Recognition flashed through Yashamaru's eyes, but it was quickly gone, replaced by the gentle smile that Naruto was beginning to see as the man's trademark. "Naruto, is it? Well, assuming by the garments you and your companion wore, you are not from Suna."

"That… would be correct."

"Where are you from then, may I ask?"

Naruto bit her lip in indecision. What would Sasuke do? Then, noticing the quiet redhead, Naruto shot him a glance. Gaara, ever so slowly, nodded his head. "Konoha, Yashamaru-san," Naruto finally answered.

"Konoha? I thought as much… but child, how did you get here?" Yashamaru questioned, shocked.

Another glance. Another nod. "We…" She coughed in embarrassment. "We fell in a carriage box sort of thing, and it kinda… closed. So we had to ride on it."

"You rode it one for a _week_?!"

"Oh no," she hastily said. "They used some kind of "Kuchiyose Jutsu" and a gigantic thing was summoned. We stayed in the coffin for a mere dreadful four hours, thank goodness."

"They were ninja? Ninja of Suna?"

"Y-yes, I do assume so. They talked about a Kazekage as if they knew him rather well…"

There was a sharp intake of breath from Yashamaru. "It would be best if no one know of this. Naruto, does…"

"No. Just us now, I suppose."

Yashamaru closed his eyes in relief. "That's good to hear." He then asked, curiously, "Where are you from in Konoha? I think I recognized your shirt symbol somewhere, but I can't remember."

Another glance. Another nod. "Sasuke is from the Uchiha Clan. I'm staying at his house for a while. Supposedly, I'm new to Konoha."

"The Uchiha Clan! That's it, I see now…" Yashamaru said. "And why would you be new to Konoha? Where are you really from then?"

Another glance. Another nod. "I do not know, I'm afraid."

"You…"

"I have amnesia. Hokage-jiji told me I'm the long lost daughter of the Yondaime."

"So that's why your name was so familiar!" Yashamaru gasped, "Uzumaki Kushina…"

Naruto blinked in surprise, at last showing some emotion on her face. "Uzumaki… Kushina?"

"Yes," Yashamaru answered gently. "It's your okaasan. Strange. Why would you take your mother's last name?"

"I would not know that, I'm sorry."

"Oh, that's right. It should be I who apologize."

There was a peaceful hush, and Naruto inquired warily, "Please, Yashamaru-san. Do you know if Sasuke and I can get home? Uchiha-san and Mikoto-neesan must surely be panicking right now…"

Yashamaru smiled. "Do not worry. I'll speak with my brother in law, Naruto."

The girl nodded thankfully, and then…

"Dobe? Where are you?" his voice asked peevishly. Naruto perked up, and a beautiful grin graced her face. She forgot that she was still in the presence of an unknown adult, and dropped her frosty demeanor.

"Sasuke! Sasuke, is it really you? I'm up here! The roof, baka! Teme, you gotta come and see it! It's so gorgeous!" Footsteps were heard, and Sasuke soon appeared in front of the door. Naruto, running by the stunned Yashamaru and Gaara, glomped him. "Ohayo, teme!"

He choked. "Dobe, get off of me!" She paid no attention. Grabbing his hand – it's almost become daily routine for Sasuke now… _almost _– Naruto pulled him to the edge of the rooftops.

"Look, look! Isn't it pretty?" she asked childishly, eyes burning bright with excitement.

The raven-haired boy looked down at the lively town, smirking. "See? It was just too cold for anyone to be out yesterday night. Speaking of that…" He turned to Naruto again, and he brought one hand up to gently touch her bandages. "Your head, dobe?"

She snorted. "Intense pain. Ow… Gonna die. Meet me in hell five years later, dude. There. That good enough for you?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Five years later? Why five years? I would only be thirteen."

"Oh," Naruto replied matter-of-factly. "You're gonna commit suicide because of all your fangirls."

Sasuke opened his mouth to disagree, closed it after some thought, and then finally said, "Good point."

She smirked.

The boy then noticed Yashamaru and Gaara. "You met them?" he asked.

"They have names, teme. Though due to your poor memorizing skills, in which you cannot even remember the name of one classmate, I would suspect as much."

He ignored her. Bowing at Yashamaru, Sasuke said, "I'm sorry to have intruded on your home. Thanks for taking care of my imouto" – horrified glare from Naruto – "and we shall be on our way."

"No ways!" she protested. "I'm not getting back down there!" She pointed at her head. "Injury, remember?"

"And a mental one as well," Sasuke answered. "Let's go, dobe."

"Yeah?" she answered back, miffed. "Where are we going exactly, your Royal Bastardness?"

"Home."

"Huh, really?" she snapped sardonically. "We can't, my dear _niichan_. We have no ride. You wanna try out that Kuchiyose Jutsu?"

Yashamaru could only gape. He had met the elders of the Uchiha Clan before. They were a stiff, nonresponding type, but one would expect that from the best Clan in all of Konoha. Yashamaru could tell from looking at Sasuke that he was like that. Well, he _was._ Either the Uchiha Clan was using lighter rules, or… Here, Yashamaru looked at Naruto for the tenth time. This girl… How strange she was… what a mysterious presence she had! Just… just like her father, the Yondaime.

The man cleared his throat. "If you don't mind me saying, Sasuke-san, I'm sure I can assist you in going home."

Naruto jabbed the raven-haired boy's side in an I-told-you-so way, and Sasuke narrowed his eyes and hissed at her, "How can you trust him?" Naruto, irked, pointed at her head. Sasuke blinked, considered it for a while, and relented. He turned to Yashamaru and gave a reluctant nod. "Very well. We place ourselves in your hands. Please take care of us."

"I assure you I will."

Naruto shouted, "Yay! Okie dokie, Sasuke, let's go outside and play! Or shop. You have money?"

The glare he shot at her would've killed anyone on the spot. Anyone except for this certain dense blonde. "_No_. I dropped it when _someone_ decided to chase after a cat and got us stuck in this situ–"

"Neko-chan!" Naruto gasped. "Where's he?"

The corners of Sasuke's mouth twitched ever so slightly. "In my room, sleeping."

"Whew," Naruto sighed in relief. Then her eyes were two sparkling gems again. "All right then. No shopping. We'll go playing! The park must look different from before, ne? Oh, and I want to see my blood."

"Why… Why do you want to see your _blood_?" Sasuke asked, disgusted.

She grinned at him wolfishly. "So I can make fun of Kiba and say I did something that involved blood and that he didn't. I'mma rub it all over his effin face."

"E-effin?" Sasuke questioned.

"Yeah, another thing I picked up," she answered. Grabbing his hand – grr – she pulled him towards the door. "We'll be going, Yashamaru-san!" Then, to the surprise of everyone, she reached for Gaara's hand as well. "C'mon, Gaara-chan, play with us."

The redhead stared at it, not comprehending. It was Yashamaru who gave finally gave him an answer. "Go on, Gaara-sama. Just be back for dinner." Gaara looked at up at Yashamaru and nodded slowly. Then he cautiously touched Naruto's hand.

Sasuke felt strangely weird. But he brushed it off.

And the two boys were pulled into their wonderful adventure when the blonde leapt off onto the stairs.

"Yes! Let's go!" she shouted.

**XXX**

"Ewwwwwwwwww," she muttered. "My blood is brown."

Sasuke snorted. "It's dried, dobe." She looked up and stuck her tongue out at him.

They were in the park once again. Naruto was crouched over the red stain on the ground, staring at her blood while Sasuke and Gaara – who had not spoken a single word – stood next to her. The three of them had walked a bit in the town, but the people were _not _nice, Sasuke realized. Either it was the blonde's hyperactiveness, or…

But why would they be angry – or possibly, even frightened – at Gaara? And yesterday night, they called him a monster. Why?

"Ne, ne, teme?" Naruto asked.

He glanced at her, wary. "_Yes_, dobe?"

"I'm hungry," she said, touching her stomach. It gave a _very _audible growl, as if backing up its mistress. "Isn't there anything to eat?"

"There was something called breakfast, dobe."

Naruto scowled. "I had no time to eat that. I was too busy looking for you."

He blinked, startled. "Me?"

"Yeah, you. Though why I was looking for such an ungrateful priss I do not know why."

"P-priss?"

"Mhmm," she answered irritably. "Kiba called me that for always wearing your 'perfect, Uchiha-bastardy clothes' as he put it. I socked him, but the name always stuck. Priss… It sounds like pussy and prick stuck into one."

Sasuke scowled. He was rather getting sick and… No! He was _not_. He could not be – Inner Sasuke choked – jealous of that… that Kiba who Naruto always blabbered on about. But he still had to ask. "What's Kiba to you?"

She looked at him. "Huh? What?"

"What's Kiba to you?" he questioned in frustration.

Naruto deadpanned. "A… classmate."

"Classmate?"

"Yes, if you have not noticed, he's your classmate as _well_, teme."

He glowered at her. "That's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean, Sir Prick?" she snapped at him. Sasuke coughed violently, and Naruto rolled her eyes. "That's another name Kiba made for you, by the way."

That's it! He was getting down to the bottom of this. "What's he to you? Answer me. Just a classmate? A friend? You know!"

"Oh… _Right_. Well, you could've asked… in a better way." Naruto thought for a while. "Well, if I had to say, um… Best friend, I guess. I mean, Kiba _was_ the one who showed me the ropes around Konoha. Without him, well, I would've been very lost."

What was this pain that was surging through him? This throb that tore at his chest… He had never felt this way before. This couldn't be… jealousy, could it? It felt different from the envy he had experienced from his brother and father's close relationship. But, if it were jealousy… For _what_ reason would he be jealous of _Kiba_? It can't be because of that… that dobe…? It can't, it just _can't_.

Naruto must've seen the hurt that shown in Sasuke's eyes, but she didn't know why. "T-teme? Are you… okay?"

He lowered his gaze and let his bangs cover up his eyes, not letting Naruto see his weakness. Then, ever so softly, Sasuke questioned in a barely audible voice, "What am _I _to you?"

Stunned silence. Peeking in between his hair, Sasuke saw that Naruto's mouth was open to a little "o" and her cerulean eyes were wide in shock. He had never noticed how gentle they were, and he felt that if he tried, he could just stare and stare into their vast blueness and simple float in there, like a cloud would in the sky…

Her stomach saved them. It gave the biggest snarl anyone had heard in history – well, from a stomach – and the silence was totally broken. No one within a ten-mile radius could pretend that they did not hear it.

Sasuke, before Naruto could respond, said simply, "I'll go buy something."

He was gone.

Naruto, to be exact, was infuriated. What was wrong with that Sasuke? He was so… Argh! What a bastard! What a priss! What a prissy bastard! With a growl, she punched the dirt ground angrily.

Gaara touched her shoulder, and Naruto looked up in surprise. "Does he know his way around here?" the redhead asked, clutching his teddy bear tightly.

She smiled thinly. "Oh, I'm sure. That teme knows everything." Then she brightened. "Hey, Gaara-san, you talked!"

The redhead blinked his light teal eyes. "I also talked to you earlier today."

"But… Oh, whatever." She grinned, forgetting instantly about Sasuke. "You wanna go play?"

Gaara looked tentatively at the ground. "I… I don't know how."

It was Naruto's turn to be amazed. "You don't know _how_?" The redhead shook his head dejectedly, and Naruto smiled gently. "Okay, c'mon then, Gaara-kun. I'll show you. Let's play together!"

She reached for his hand, and Gaara slowly placed his in hers. Naruto gave him another encouraging grin, and the two of them began walking around the park. The little blonde chattered rapidly to the redhead, and every once in a while, Naruto would give one of her tinkling laughter. Sometimes – they were rare to catch – Gaara's lips would be curved upward into a very small smile as well, and for once, the jinchuuriki of Shukaku felt something warm stir in his heart, and he wondered about love. Would this be love?

Suddenly, there were laughing and giggling nearby. Naruto perked up, eyes shining. She ran towards the sound, and soon, a bunch of kids playing ball were seen. They passed the ball swiftly to each other, and it seemed like if one person dropped the ball, he or she were out. To Naruto's surprise, she felt the redhead beside her stiffen, and when she turned to look at him, the impassive teal eyes were now burning with an unyielding loathing. She blinked, not comprehending, until one of the kids saw them and screamed.

"Help! I-it's Gaara! He's here!" she shrieked, pointing. As soon as those words left the girl's mouth, the rest of the small group froze in place, and their eyes were filled with dread.

What was going on?

But Naruto decided to say the question she was going to ask anyways. "Ohayo. May we play with you?"

The leader, it seemed, of the party stepped forward. "Who are you?"

"I'm Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto. Nice to meet you."

"Why are you with that monster?"

She narrowed her cerulean eyes. "He's not a monster. He's Gaara."

The boy sneered. "Gaara. Monster. Same thing. Are you one as well?"

Naruto dropped the redhead's hand and walked towards the boy. "What are you talking about? It's rude to call other people monsters."

One of the girls in the group whispered, "Watch out, Akira."

Akira just rolled his eyes. "She can't do anything to me."

Naruto growled, "Apologize."

"For _what_?" was the jeering answer.

"For calling Gaara a monster. It's not nice."

Akira snorted. "It's not nice? Why should I care? He controls sand. He's a _monster._"

That stopped Naruto in her tracks. Turning around, she murmured, "Gaara… You can control _sand_?" He didn't respond, but the knuckles on the hand that was clutching his teddy bear turned ghostly white.

Akira smirked. "He never told you? Well then, Naruto. I take it back. It was apparent that you were hanging out with the wrong person without even knowing it. If you want, you can come to our group and ditch that monst–"

She kicked him.

Hard.

And in a very soft spot. She probably didn't mean it, but she did.

"Don't. Call. My. Friend. A. Monster," she roared, and for a moment, her eyes seemed to flash red. "I'll _kill_ you."

They were gone. Scampered away in a few seconds. She stood there for a few more moments, huffing madly, before looking back at Gaara. Her eyes softened back to their normal baby-blue, and Naruto asked, "Is… Is what they said true?"

Gaara hesitated, and then nodded miserably. Without a single word, he turned and began walking away slowly. His teddy bear dragged on the ground, and his head drooped ever so low. But unexpectedly, he was whisked around and crushed in a big, warm hug.

"Where are you going?" she whispered softly, tears dripping down her tan face. "Baka. Am I that annoying to you, Gaara?" He had no reply, and she half laughed, half cried into his chest. "Sorry, Gaara. I didn't know. You should've _told_ me. Then I wouldn't have gone to those stupid, bastardy, prissy kids. I'm sorry. It must've been tough for you… I'm sorry."

His mind was going to explode. He couldn't understand. First, it was the man in the club. Now, now _this._ Why? Why did she do these things? "Aren't you afraid of me?"

She sniffed. "You mean your sand? Was that what I saw the other day? Well, to be frank, I'm more amazed than scared."

"A-amazed?"

Naruto nodded, head still buried in his cloak, and she said in a muffled voice, "Yeah. I mean, controlling sand is pretty cool."

"No it isn't."

She finally looked up at his face, and to his astonishment, they were etched with distress. "Why not?"

"I… I _can't_ control it."

"You…?"

He was silent, and then his teal blue eyes met hers again. "When I get mad, the sand just takes over and… That's why everyone is afraid of me. They're right. I am a mons–"

"No!" she burst out, and a new batch of tears appeared in her blue eyes. "No you're not! You're a human as well. Why do you have to be a monster? You have a heart. You have feelings. Maybe it's your sand that has these dumb stupid monster characteristics. But _you_ aren't a monster!"

"Then why do I even hurt the people around me? Why are they all afraid of me? Why…?" Gaara hadn't realized that his cheeks were damp as well, and he stopped talking. Naruto shook her head slowly after some while, and her hold on Gaara tightened.

"We all hurt our love ones sometime, Gaara," she said softly. "We're just lucky that we don't have the power that you have. What you need to learn is to control it."

"I tried already. I can't. It's too strong."

"You can't let the monster take over you, Gaara. How can you say you can't if you haven't tried?"

"But I did."

"No, you didn't." Naruto smiled a sad smile. "At least, not to the best of your ability." She was quiet for some while, and said, "You know what I think counts as trying to the 'best of your ability'?" Naruto didn't wait for Gaara's reply. "You try and try until you die. Either you die first, or you get it right. You understand?" He didn't answer, and she smiled again, this time with a lighter mood. "It basically means you don't stop trying until you die. Otherwise, it doesn't count as trying."

"What does it count as?" he asked.

"Giving up. And giving up does mean you're a monster." She stopped. Then the little blonde girl added, "A monster at living. An epic failure." Naruto giggled and wiped at Gaara's tears. "Ne, Gaara? May I ask you a favor?"

Teal ones met ceruleans.

"Promise me something," she pleaded softly.

"What?"

"That the next time I see you…" A gentle breeze passed, and Naruto's face split into a wide smile. "You would've tried."

"I would've…" His voice trailed off.

"Yes. Gained control of your sand. Tried to the best of your ability."

Gaara stared into Naruto's sparkling eyes, and, cautiously, brought one hand up to her cheeks and dried her face. "I promise."

She smiled. "A man never goes down on his promise, Gaara."

"All right."

"Oh, and one more question."

"Yeah?"

Naruto looked at the teddy bear that was Gaara was holding and reached for it. The redhead hesitantly gave it for her to hold. "What's his name?" she asked shyly.

"It doesn't have one."

"What?" She sounded flabbergasted. "Well, I think he should have one. What do you wanna name him?"

The redhead was only quiet for a few seconds before his face broke into a sweet smile that warmed up Naruto's heart. "It's not a 'he.'"

"Oh?" Naruto said, tipping her head sideways. "What's her name then?"

"Naru-chan."

Her face softened before the smile took over. "It's a beautiful name, Gaara-chan."

"You think so too?" he inquired, relieved that she wasn't mad. "I'm glad that you approve of her, Naruto."

"Of course!"

**XXX**

"And these shinobi will escort you home, Uzumaki-san and Uchiha-san," the Kazekage said, face impassive. The two children bowed.

"I thank you greatly," Naruto replied, and her voice was level and polite. She _did_ feel like the Kazekage was a formidable figure, but she didn't let that get to her. He was just a leader of Suna, that's all. Nothing more. "We're dreadfully sorry to have intruded without your permission, Kazekage-sama. Please forgive us."

The Kazekage nodded peacefully. "Do not worry. I'm simply ashamed though, that our shinobi would not know there were two children in the weapon carrier."

"Oh, please, Kazekage-sama, please do not punish them," Naruto hastily said. "You may blame that on _our_ excellent shinobi skill instead."

The leader of Suna gave out a great booming laugh – all the ninja in the room were naturally astounded – and the Kazekage said, "Very well. I shall not punish them. Now, I assume, would be best for you to leave. It will still take you a week to arrive home. We had already sent a letter, but I do not know when it will arrive. Sometimes these sandstorms do get rather annoying."

Sasuke bowed again. "Thank you, Kazekage-sama. We'll be leaving now." He glanced at Naruto and tugged on her sleeve. "C'mon." But she didn't look at him. Instead, her gaze was at Gaara, who stood next to his father. Yes, she was rather bewildered – and miffed – to have found out that Gaara's father was the Kazekage, and that he had two other siblings without her _knowing_.

She made a face. Sasuke, who knew the blonde was up to no good, tried to stop her, but alas, the cat - it was sleeping - was thrown into his arms, and Naruto ran up to Gaara before any of them could blink. And when they did, they saw a little girl embracing the _disgrace of their village_. The shinobi of Suna – and the Kazekage and Yashamaru – were simply _floored_.

"Screw this," she whispered for Gaara to hear, but everyone else heard anyways. "I always sucked at these stuff. Remember, Gaara, it's a promise."

He smiled – heart attack for everyone now – and brought the little teddy bear up. "All right, Naru-chan."

She grinned. "Feel special, Gaara-chan. I only allow one other person to call me that."

"Kiba?"

Naruto laughed this time, and her chiming laughter resounded all over the quiet room. "I'll give this to you. Your memorizing skills are better than Sasuke-teme's." She giggled again, and timidly, the blonde stared into Gaara's eyes. Slowly, standing on her tippytoes, she bent over and…

Gave him a light kiss on his cheek. "You aren't a monster. You'll always be my dear friend. Remember that, Gaara. And I'll remember your promise." She winked at the dazed boy and ran back to Sasuke. "Ja, let's go home, teme!"

Suna's thoughts: Oh. My. Gawd.

And Sasuke felt that burning feeling inside of him again. Jealousy. He could not deny it. It was pure, raging jealousy. And he didn't know why.

**XXX**

She sighed. It's been two days ever since coming home from Suna. Mikoto-neesan had gushed all over Sasuke and Naruto, and Fugaku… Well, he told them to never do that again. But Naruto could've sworn she saw a flash of pride in those stern eyes. Itachi didn't say anything except for a "Welcome back, otouto, imouto," and he ruffled Naruto's hair. And flicked Sasuke's forehead.

They had also returned Tiger, who turned out to be the poor, wretched cat of a rather chubby lady, back to its _rightful _owner. Naruto felt her heart go out for Tiger, but what could she do? It wasn't _her_ cat.

But that wasn't the problem. Oh no. The problem is that dumbass teme who started ignoring her. For reals. She didn't get him. Why was he all angry with her? What did she do this time?

Nothing. She did _nothing_.

Naruto sighed again, and decided that Sasuke was being a total, effing priss. And well, she was sick of the glares he sent her behind her back. If he wasn't going to say something, she _will_.

Standing up, Naruto marched straight to Sasuke's room – she knew her way around in the big mansion better and better now – and yanked it open. It flew to the side with a screech, and behold! The bastard prince was there in the center of the big room, reading his retarded history book that he seemed to have in his hands every time she looked at him.

He ignored her.

She snarled _not_ pleasingly. "Explain. Now."

No reply.

"Sasuke, I will burn everything in your room to ashes."

No response.

"Teme… You are getting on my last nerve."

No answer.

"Yarou…"

No reaction.

"That's it! That's the _final_ straw, bub! You seriously done it, du—"

"Why don't you play with Kiba?! Or write a letter to Gaara?!" he shouted, throwing his book at the wall, and his eyes glazed with an anger Naruto had never seen before. There were shadows around those onyx eyes, and she realized that he hadn't been getting a lot of sleep either.

Why was he doing this? What do Kiba and Gaara have anything to do –

It hit her like a ton of bricks.

No way…

"_What's he to you? Answer me. Just a classmate? A friend? You know!"_

"_Well, if I had to say, um… Best friend, I guess. I mean, Kiba was the one who showed me the ropes around Konoha. Without him, well, I would've been very lost."_

_And that kiss on the cheek to Gaara…_

Naruto reeled back. He… He couldn't have been… Why would Sasuke _care_ in the first place? He's…

Jealous of _Kiba_? And of the kiss she gave to _Gaara_?

WHY?!

The poor confused blonde burst into tears. She didn't understand. Sasuke had never worried much about her, right? The times he had talked to her were only because… because she was living in his family. And besides, she was just another girl to him. _He_ wouldn't care about her. Why would he? There were so many girls in class.

SO WHY?!

Sasuke didn't know what to do. She ran into his room, started threatening him with such a dark hatred in her eyes, and yet, when he had shouted out the two names, something clicked in her mind and she…

She began crying. Hard.

WHY?!

Naruto wouldn't care about him. She had… had that Kiba. And pretty much everyone else in school. Also, she befriended Gaara. So why did she come into his room? It couldn't be just to bother him, could it? And moreover, she was _crying _right now. Sasuke, from experience, connected a girl's crying with a _want._ When girls cry, they wanted something.

SO WHAT DID NARUTO WANT?!

Naruto first spoke. "Wh-why? Why a-are y-you do-doing th-this t-to me?" she hiccupped, tears still running down her cheeks.

Sasuke clenched his hands into a fist. "Doing what? I'm not doing anyth – "

"You're ignoring me!" she wailed, more tears dripping. "Why?! I'm… I'm sorry, all right? I'm sorry, Sasuke!" She stomped her foot crossly, crying harder than ever. "I don't know what I ever did! I'm just sorry, all right?!"

It broke his heart. He couldn't see her like this. And oh god, if everyone else knew that their sunshine had been reduced to rain and sleet because of him… How they would kill him! Sasuke quickly ran over and hugged the little blonde gently, soothing her. "It's all right. I'm so sorry. It should be I who apologize. Don't cry, Naruto. Please stop crying…"

She hiccupped again, and wiped furiously away at her tears. "W-why?"

He tightened his hold on her. Somehow, hugging her so close… It made him contented. "I don't know, Naruto. I'm sorry. I really don't know…"

Naruto was quiet. Then, gently, she brought her hands up to Sasuke's back and gave him a warm hug as well. "Does it have anything to do with the question you asked me before about Kiba?"

He grunted.

"And that kiss I gave to Gaara?"

He didn't answer.

She smiled ruefully, and said, "I'm sorry, then, for not doing this." And once more, she stood on her tippytoes, and…

Gave him a tender kiss on the cheek. He froze. "For your question, Sasuke, you're more than a best friend to me," she murmured in his ear. "I'm just as confused as you are. I don't know this feeling. I don't know if it's supposed to be directed towards a family member or towards a very close friend. But I do know that you're very precious to me, Sasuke. And you won't get replaced by Kiba and Gaara, okay?"

It blossomed across his chest, this warm, relaxing sensation, and he hugged her harder, not wanting to let her go. "I don't know it either, Naruto. I… I never really had a close relationship with anyone in the family except for maybe Mother, so I don't know if this is a brotherly feeling. I don't think so. But I don't talk to girls either, so I don't know if it's… it's…"

The two couldn't bring themselves to say it. But they still thought of it.

Love.

Naruto snuggled into Sasuke's chest. "Ne, Sasuke. Question."

"Hn."

"May I sleep with you tonight?" He stiffened, and then looked at her in incredulity. Naruto gave him a small smile. "Judging from the dark circles around your eyes, you haven't had a good sleep for these two days. Nor did I. So I'm just asking for tonight. May I?"

He blushed. "All right. But you're sleeping in your own bedcovers."

She looked offended. "Of course! And don't worry." Here, the blonde snorted. "I don't wet the bed."

Sasuke smirked. "Right…"

"Hey, what is that supposed to mean?"

The boy rolled his eyes. Suddenly, his face became serious, and he asked, "Naruto? I was wondering… After I went to buy lunch that day, what happened between you and Gaara? Because…"

Naruto's face instantly became grim. "Oh…"

"Naruto?"

She placed her head gently on Sasuke's chest and listened to his heartbeat for a few moments. "The whole village thinks he's a monster."

"I figured that much out."

"He's not though! He's a perfectly fine boy!"

"Oh?"

She nodded fiercely. "Yeah. He is. But there's just one special thing about him."

"And that would be…?"

"He can control sand." There was no response from Sasuke, and Naruto continued. "So what? That doesn't make him a freak! I think it's cool to have the ability to control sand. So when the kids called him a freak, I kicked the leader in his nuts."

Sasuke winced. Ow, poor boy… "And the promise? What was it?"

Naruto's cerulean eyes flickered upwards to glance at Sasuke's onyx ones before they closed tiredly. "Sometimes, when Gaara gets really mad, he can't control the sand all that well, and it's more like the sand controls him. And he accidentally hurts his loved ones. So I made him promise me that the next time we meet each other, he would've tried his very best and would've controlled all of his sand. Every bit of it."

Sasuke stayed silent, but he smiled a little bit. "Oh."

She smirked up at him. "Mhmm. So, Sasuke, what did you think the promise was?"

He reddened. "Nothing, really, now that you've mentioned it." Naruto coughed, but it sounded somewhat like a muffled "liar." Sasuke growled. "All right. I thought it was some plot for you guys to run away when you're both older and live together or something."

Naruto giggled. "Oh dear. Aren't you a bit jealous?"

He scowled at her. "Be quiet. It could've been protective, brotherly emotions too."

"Yeah…" She sobered up. "It could've been, huh? Jeez, Sasuke, we suck. We can't even understand our own feelings." Sasuke smiled again, and Naruto said, warily, "So it's over? You won't ignore me anymore?"

Sasuke shook his head, hugging her again. "I'm sorry."

"Good. And one more thing."

"Hn."

"He named the teddy bear after me. It's 'Naru-chan.'" Naruto laughed. "Isn't it sweet?"

Argh. That feeling _again_, Sasuke thought. Stupid, dumb ole jealousy/protective brotherly emotions. They should all just –

_Chuu_.

She kissed him softly on the cheek once more. "Let go out and play, dear brotherly friend of mine. Don't scowl like that. It'll cause premature wrinkling. Yeah, Kiba told me that one. I was pissed at your fangirls. Sasuke! I told you! Stop scowling!"

**XXX **

At night…

Mikoto, feeling unsafe about something, had decided to check on Naruto. The poor girl sometimes had bad dreams at night, and so the mother wanted to make sure the blonde wouldn't get them tonight. Oh, imagine her horror when she entered Naruto's bedroom only to find no one there! Panicking, she ran back to her own bedroom and hurriedly woke Fugaku up. After explaining to him the details, they dashed to Itachi's room and roused the ANBU ninja. Itachi said calmly that they should ask Sasuke if he knew where she went, and so they arrived in front of Sasuke's door. Mikoto hastily pushed open Sasuke's door…

And froze quickly.

She had a beautiful smile on her face as she rested her head on Sasuke's chest. And he… He had a small smile gracing his face as he wrapped two arms around her petite body. Their chest moved up and down in unison, and sometimes, when Naruto would mumble something – probably a nightmare as usual – Sasuke, still asleep, would gently pat her back.

This was Sasuke?

The parents had a hard time believing. So did Itachi, to be exact. Maybe that eye doctor was wrong. Maybe they _did_ have something wrong with their eyes, and he just didn't catch it.

Mikoto brought one hand up to her chest. She looked at Fugaku, who was just as staggered. "I… I…"

Fugaku smiled. "She's fine, I believe. Let's go back to sleep now. They'll both be fine, Mikoto."

"A-all right."

The next morning, Sasuke was woken up by Naruto, who seemed to have a wonderful sleep. "Ne, ne, Sasuke! It's morning already! Get up!" She ran over to the window and drew the curtains open, letting in the bright sunlight.

He yawned unenthusiastically. "Mhmm… Let me sleep some more."

"No ways!" Naruto said, upset. "We're going to play tag with everyone today, remember?"

Sasuke groaned. "Argh. I'm so stiff and tired."

"But why?" was her innocent question.

Glare. "You seemed to have not remember. But every once in a while I'll be woken up by your whimpers."

"I whimper?"

"Nightmare."

Understanding dawned in her pretty blue eyes, and she sighed. "Oh. Now I remember." Naruto walked over and got into her bedcovers again. "Argh, I keep on having the same dream."

Sasuke looked at her, frowning. "Would you like to tell me about it?"

She glanced at him. "Well… I hardly…" The girl sighed. "Kyuubi."

"Kyuubi?"

"Yeah. He's a fox demon."

"A fox demon?"

"Teme, you're repeating everything I say." Naruto closed her eyes. "A fox demon with nine tails. In my dream, I'll be in the middle of a gorgeous meadow. But then they come." Her voice became sad and forlorn. "Behind me are three people and one fox. The fox looks just like Kyuubi, except it seems nicer. And one of the three people is a man with reddish hair and foxlike eyes. But the other two…" She took in a breath. "They look just like me! I don't know why. They just do. Oh, and one of them is a boy. He has shorter hair than me, but he's older. Like, fifteen or something. And the girl looks half-a-year younger than me." She stopped her rant and her voice trailed off.

"You said those people appear behind you?"

"Yeah. And in front of me, Kyuubi would appear. He's glance at me – he has such scary red eyes – and then walk off. I… My feet for no reason follow him, but I'd get so scared…" She hugged her chest, and her eyes opened.

Sasuke smiled. "It's just a dream."

"I keep telling myself that!" she said, and her cerulean eyes looked at Sasuke. "I do, I really do. But my heart… It's telling me a whole different story. It knows these people. Maybe not Kyuubi, but the people behind me. And I don't know why."

Sasuke didn't reply. What could he say anyways?

"Sasuke?"

"Hn."

She curled up into a tighter ball. "You know Gaara?"

"Hn."

"That night, when we first saw him… I… I felt weird."

The raven-haired boy glanced at her. "L-l…" he choked. "Love?"

"No!" She shook her head furiously, and her bangs covered up her face. "Not like that. I… I heard voices in my head."

"Voices."

"Yeah, voices. They were saying mean things like 'monster' and all that… Except they were directed at me."

Sasuke eyes widened, and he cautiously placed a hand on her shoulder. "You aren't a monster."

"But I…" Naruto shook her head again. "No… It was different. When I saw Gaara, I felt a connection with him. A bond. Something like… like _empathy _was in my heart."

"Empathy?" he asked, confused.

"Mhmm. I don't know why either. Just empathy. Like I understood his pain. But no one… No one called me a monster before." Then her voice turned thoughtful. "Unless… Before my amnesia…?"

Sasuke growled, and he sat up. "You aren't. You just aren't, dobe. Now hurry up. We're gonna be late for…" He twitched. "Kiba and them."

Naruto smiled at him gratefully. "All right. Let's go, teme. Keep your hair on." She stopped, and her eyes met his again. The little blonde grinned widely, then added tentatively, "Arigatou ne, Sasuke."

"Hn."

* * *

_**ALL READERS, PLEASE READ THE MESSAGE OF THE BOTTOM! **_

There. I hope you got that.

Important message: Okay, everyone. The fated time has come... Itachi and the Uchiha Massacre. Should it, or should it not occur? I wish to get some of your views on that.

a) Itachi murders his family.

b) Itachi murders everyone except let the parents off barely alive.

c) He doesn't kill anyone but turns evil and leaves.

d) He doesn't leave.

Author's opinon: Personally, I like 'b.' Cuz of later on. ; If you don't, please review or write me a message telling me your view, and if you can, explain why. I would like to know.

And to those who don't review, I do not wish to see your opinions later on in the story going on about "Why did this happen? Why did Itachi do bleh bleh bleh?" I gave you a chance right here to tell me your thoughts. So if you decide to not tell me what you want, don't blame me if you do not like what happens to the Uchiha Massacre.

Okay, everyone, please tell me your thoughts!

PS: Review if you want me to upload every Sunday (or, at least try. 8th grade is being a 'pita,' as Naruto puts it. ;)

And review if you liked this chapter. Thanx!

* * *


	5. Never Too Late

**

* * *

**

Chapter 4: Never Too Late

* * *

"Ne, ne, Itachi-niichan, will you play with me?"

He turned to look at her. The little blonde's big cerulean eyes were wide with innocent pleading, and she squirmed cutely. He smiled, but the teenager said evenly, "You can play with Sasuke."

Naruto rolled her eyes. "He's at the meeting with Iruka-sensei." There was no reply, and she frowned prettily. "Please? Will you?"

"…"

"_Please_…?"

"I have work to do."

She huffed. "Argh. You always do, niichan. Can you make an _exception_ and play with me?" Naruto battered her eyelashes, and she clasped her hands together tightly. "O-ne-gai?"

"Not – "

"Today," she cut in, snorting and quickly dropping her act. "I heard you say that Sasuke-teme at least a billion times about shuriken practice." She waved one hand in the air. "But if it's not today, it's not gonna be tomorrow either, so why bother saying 'today?' You can save your breath and simply say 'never.'"

Itachi looked at the talkative blonde with somewhat of an exasperated but laughing look on his aristocratic face. "Not _today_, imouto."

"That's no fair, niichan! You're trying to get away with it by calling me 'imouto' which makes me happy and then I forget why I came to you in the first place," she complained. "Itachi-niichan, _please? _With a… a strawberry on top?"

The corners of his mouth twitched. "I thought it was cherry."

"Yeah, I know." Naruto made a face. "But then I tasted those artificial cherries on a cake and it was simply _disgusting_. Hideous. Sickening. So I converted it into strawberries." She looked up at the Uchiha with curiosity. "Why? You don't like strawberries, niichan?"

He shrugged. "It's alright, I guess."

Naruto grinned widely. "So now will you play with me? Since you like strawberries?"

Itachi shot her a mildly amused look. "I have to meet up with ANBU colleagues."

"Oh?" The blonde perked up. "Can you drop me off somewhere? At my friend's house?"

"I thought you know your way rather well around here in Konoha now, imouto. You've been living in this village for almost a year."

She sighed. "Ever since that incident in Suna during my first month here, remember? Mommy told me that I can't get out of the house without… you know. Permission or someone to _babysit _me." Naruto wrinkled up her nose. "She trusts Sasuke more than me. Says he gets less distracted."

Itachi nodded wisely. "I take Mother up on that."

"Hey! No fairs! You're all against me!"

Itachi checked himself just in time to prevent a little _chuckle_ to come out his mouth. He blinked, and the Uchiha prodigy turned to look at Naruto again. There was something different about her… A hidden charm, a bright magic. It must be the way her angelic baby-blue eyes would gaze into someone and make them feel alive – important even – and the way her mouth would always be in constant motion, whether in a smile or a pout or simply nonstop talking…

Yes. Upon the little blonde's arrival, the family has changed drastically. The near chuckle from _him _of all people was evidence of it.

"N-niichan? You okay?" Naruto asked, tipping her head sideways. "Don't take that as a personal insult, Ichi."

He mentally shook himself. "Never mind. Very well, I will take you to your friend's house."

Her tanned face broke into one of those wild grins. "Yayi! Thank you, brother!" The little girl then stopped and scowled. "Oh darn it. I hafta go change. Kiba'll make fun of me so bad if I don't get into 'decent girl clothing.'"

Itachi scanned the child. Her hair was recently trimmed, and the golden curls fell to her shoulders. The blonde had a little pink clip that held her bangs up, and a red headband kept the hair in the back from poofing. Her clothes… well, they were just Sasuke's clothes. A black t-shirt with the Uchiha symbol, and she wore grey shorts with a shuriken pouch. "I see nothing wrong with your attire."

"Pfft. They don't like me wearing Sasuke's clothes." Itachi raised a questioning eyebrow, and Naruto shrugged. "Eh. The girls are just jealous – naturally. Screw them. But I don't know what the boys' problem is. Kiba takes one look at me, and I can see the sulk in his eyes. Sheesh. They're so weird at times."

Itachi smiled – wow, second time that day – and thought, _Looks like baby brother has some competition._

"So wait for me, ne?" Naruto ran to the door. "I'll be back in a jiffy!"

**XXX**

Her choice of clothes was rather plain. It was a yellow shirt with big, neon-orange words that said, "Smile," on the front and "Laugh" on the back. Her pants were just jeans with a little pink flower on the side as decoration. But it still was cute on her anyways.

"Ichi?"

He looked back at the blonde while walking alongside the road. Unlike Sasuke, who had only let Itachi do this to him _once_, Naruto felt no shame in allowing the older Uchiha piggyback ride her. To the blonde, well, she was the kid and he was the adult. Simple. "Do you know the difference between girls and boys?"

"Girls and…?"

"Yeah," she answered rather peevishly. "Girls and boys. Males and females. You know…"

Itachi grunted. "Why the question?"

She glowered, thinking of a memory that must've been not very pleasant. "Because…"

"Because…?"

Sighing, the blonde started absentmindedly playing with Itachi's hair. "You know that Sasuke and I don't talk at _all _at school, right?"

"I did assume that."

"You guessed right. Anyhow, I play with Kiba and his friends, but a few weeks ago, Ino and her group – they're the most popular girls in my class – pulled me away to play with them." Naruto rolled her eyes. "I thought that they wanted to ask me billions of questions about Sasuke. They did, but they first let me play with them. And just last week or something, Ino and them started playing this game called 'house.' You heard of it before, niichan?"

He considered the name for a while. "I might have. But tell me about it nonetheless."

"It's simple. You pick a role in a family that you want to be, and you act it out."

Itachi was beginning to get where Naruto was headed. "And you didn't like your role."

She growled. "There was no other choice. I _had _to be the baby. But you see, the _daddy _place was open, but Ino said I couldn't do it. Only a male – like her precious _Sasuke_ – could, and a girl like me couldn't. When I asked her why…"

All right. Itachi'll admit it. He was interested. "Yeah? What did she say?" he questioned.

"That I didn't have it."

"You…"

"That little soldier. Ino told me that her mom said that all males have a little soldier, and we ladies don't." She glared at him. "Niichan, is what Ino told me true?"

If he were a normal man, he would've laughed and probably result in getting a seizure. But he was Uchiha Itachi, and although he was feeling rather… – _amused _would be a good word – he still controlled himself. Coughing a bit, Itachi replied with a straight face, "I… I suppose she can say that."

"Oh," Naruto sniffed indignantly. "I'mma go ask Sasuke too."

_Would his… his baby brother know?_ Itachi thought with some mirth. "Where did you say you guys were meeting again?"

She frowned. "I think it was at the Konoha Tree Park. I don't remember."

"Why would you meet there?"

"To play tag. But Sasuke had that meeting, so…"

Itachi glanced at Naruto. "Why did Iruka-san want to speak with Sasuke?"

"I really don't know that," she replied. "I think it's to talk about his school stuff or something."

"There's something wrong with his grades?"

Naruto snorted. "Something wrong with _that _teme's grades? Nope. Not a chance in a zillion. Pfft. That dude's a total nerd-o."

Itachi felt the corners of his mouth lift into a small smile – goodness, third time. "And your grades? How would you be doing in the Ninja Academy? You're not failing, are you? Remember, two more weeks. Then you'll be graduating." _Whoa. Did he really say all that?_

The blonde rolled her azure eyes. "I'm fine. My grades are almost like Sasuke's, except I flunk at writing."

"Writing?"

"Mhmm. It's like the paper has a grudge against me or something. When I pick up the pencil, I panic and I can't think straight. Then it results in me getting a big fat C on my paper." Naruto grinned brightly. "But boy, I'm so excited about graduating! After that is a long break, right?"

Itachi nodded. "Yes, from end of July to late August."

Naruto tensed immediately, and the fingers that were playing with Itachi's long ponytail gave an involuntary yank. Itachi cringed and peeked warily at the blonde. Her large cerulean eyes were big as dinner plates, and her mouth was wide open.

"Imouto?"

She gasped. "J-July? Ichi, it's shichi-gatsu?"

"It… is."

Her tanned face turned pale. "It's not the… twenty-third, is it?"

"I'm sorry to say that it – "

She gave one loud and pitiful wail. "Dammit! How could I be so dumb?!" she screeched, burying her face into Itachi's hair. "Dammit dammit dammit!"

Itachi, sighing, placed Naruto on the ground, and bent down on his knees. He ruffled her hair fondly. "What's the matter?"

She flew into his arms and started crying. "Ichi! Don't you get it? It's July twenty-third! July _twenty-third_!" The little girl wailed hard into his chest, and Itachi brought up a hand and patted her back.

"I don't see anyt – "

July twenty-third.

In other words…

_Sasuke's birthday._

Naruto must've felt the other stiffen, and she sniffed. "You didn't remember either?" There was no response. "I was so stupid. I sneaked into Sasuke's room yesterday night because I couldn't sleep. When I woke up, I saw him standing by the calendar in his room and smiling. I thought it was weird, but…" She started bawling again. "How could I have forgotten?! I'm such a dim-witted idiot!"

Itachi was stunned. He had forgotten his own brother's birthday. What was happening to him? How could _he _forget?

"N-Naruto?" came a voice. A dog barked as well. "It's… Naruto?!" Suddenly, a boy came running up, and he crouched down next to the crying blonde. "Oi, Naruto, are you all right? Did you…?"

She took one look at the newcomer and flew into his arms as well. "K-Kiba! Help me! I'm such a dolt!"

Kiba hugged her protectively. "What is it? Who hurt you? I'll go kill – "

"Kiba? What's going on?"

A whole group of chattering kids – Ino, Sakura, Chouji, Hinata, Shikamaru, Shino, and even Neji – appeared. As soon as they saw Naruto weeping in Kiba's arms, they dashed and straight away were attempting to calm down the girl.

Neji said coldly, "Gimme the name of the person that made you cry. I'll go have a talk with him…" His white eyes seemed to burn with a frozen anger, and the others shivered. Kiba glared at him.

"I already said that. Let the poor girl talk, will ya?" he snapped at the Hyuuga.

Naruto snuffled. "It's Sasuke-teme's birthday."

Ino yelped in delight. "Sasuke-kun's birthday? Really?" she squealed. "Oh Lord, I didn't know! Sakura, what day is today? I must memorize his birthday!"

"I forgot," Naruto whispered despondently. "I can't believe I forgot his _birthday_ for hell's sakes."

Shikamaru sighed, and he patted Naruto's yellow spikes. "Don't be so sad, Naruto. Geez, we can just hold a surprise party for him. It's not that hard to make o – "

There was a thrilled gasp, and Shikamaru was tackled by a blurry, orange blob. She jumped up and down in joy, kissing his cheeks – which were speedily turning into another color – over and over again. "Oh, Shika-chan, will you? Will you help me in giving the teme a surprise party?" she gushed out, sounding a little bit like Ino.

Shikamaru felt his face heat up, and glancing hesitantly at the other boys – who were turning rather green – he decided the best was to calm down the little sunshine that everybody loved. "Y-yeah… No problem, Naruto. Just… You can let go now."

She did, but not after she gave him another long kiss on his tomato-colored cheek. "Thank you so much!" Naruto grinned quickly at him, eyes now sparkling. "I can just imagine Sasuke's face when he gets home today!"

"Ah," Kiba managed to get out, scowling fiercely at Shikamaru, "When will he get home?"

She thought carefully. "It's around nine, right? Um, chichi told Sasuke to go pick up some stuff for him after the talk with Iruka-sensei, so I'm assuming around… four, I guess. Do you think we'd have time?"

Ino snorted. Linking an arm around Naruto, she beckoned Hinata and Sakura as well. "Time? We have all the time in the world, Naru-chan." The girl nodded at the boys. "Get everything else ready. We'll be having it at Sasuke-kun's house, right?" Naruto nodded. "All right then. It's decided. You boys get the house dusted and cleaned and ready for the show while we girls get some shopping done. We'll meet at 3:30."

Chouji grunted, "Will there be food?"

Sweatdrop.

Shino finally said something: "_Yes_."

"And cake!" Naruto added, smiling. "Thanks, everyone!" Then she noticed the silent Itachi who had stood up after the rest of the people appeared, and the blonde walked over to him. "Ichi, can you make it to the party? After your meeting with your colleagues?"

He nodded slowly, and Naruto grinned. She hugged Itachi and motioned him to bend down. When he did, she placed a little sweet kiss on his forehead. "Love you with all my heart, niichan. See you in a few hours, Ichi! Don't be late!" Itachi smiled and messed up Naruto's hair – like it wasn't untidy already.

"I won't, imouto," he answered. "Does your friends know the way home?"

Naruto tipped her head sideways. "Do they?"

"Oh jeez," Kiba said rather crankily (he was pretty jealous now that Naruto had given a kiss to _two_ males). "We're not idiots. Just get going, Naruto." She looked at him, blinked a little, and a slow smile spread across her face. Without warning, she leapt at him and gave him a small peck on his tattooed cheek as well.

"And thank you, Kiba," she giggled.

Ino walked over and grabbed Naruto's collar. "Let's get going, princess…"

**XXX**

Sasuke strolled on the streets, holding the documents that Father had asked for. They were rather heavy, and the raven-haired boy scowled. Why did they always give _him _the dirty work? That dobe was so spoiled now.

_No_. It was his birthday. He wasn't gonna let that usuratonkachi ruin his day. But, thinking about his birthday just made Sasuke a bit sadder. He hadn't expected Father to say anything about it, and well, Mother and niisan were just too busy. And that blonde, blue-eyed dobe… Why should he expect her to remember? He only told it to her once, and that conversation was about _dogs. _Still, he remembered it clearly.

"_Sasuke? Why are dogs so different?" she had asked._

_He looked at her with annoyance. "Come again?"_

"_Dogs. Why are they so different? I mean, Akamaru's so small, yet just the other day, I saw this humongo mutt. It scared the hell out of me. So I'm asking why are there so many versions of them."_

_Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Why does this matter?"_

"_I'm just asking. Sheesh. If you don't know the answer, you don't have to mock the question."_

"_Hn."_

_She smirked. "You know, I'mma buy you one of those yippity-yappity dogs that'll never shut up. Ahaha. I wonder what you'll say. When's your birthday, teme?"_

_He glared threateningly. "July twenty-third."_

"_Oh…" There was a pause, and then, "Sasuke, why do cats hate water?"_

_The poor boy groaned inwardly. She can never stop talking. That dobe… She's a fox and one of those yippity-yappity dogs mixed into one. Ten times the noise. Ten times the headache. Joy._

That had occurred a long time ago, Sasuke realized. She's come a far way from the small girl that was thrown into his household that August. He sighed. And now, he can't imagine life without the dobe. He can't imagine waking up everyday without either seeing her sleeping contentedly next to him or hearing her voice screaming for pancakes in the kitchen. He can't imagine not hearing her call Mother "haha-ue" and Father "chichi." She had picked up that habit during the New Year celebration. When they had to make a wish, she bowed her little blonde head and merely said, "My greatest wish is to have a family."

Sasuke sighed again. "Almost a year, huh?" he muttered quietly to himself. "Almost a year…" The boy trudged on, deep in his thoughts. And there was that meeting with Iruka. It was quite strange. The teacher had given him a swift look, and then asked about _Naruto_ of all people. How she was, if she were feeling sad, if she wanted to move…

It was almost as if they were wondering if they should put her in another family.

Sasuke scowled. Somehow, he didn't like that thought of her living in somebody else's house. She belonged to the _Uchiha _estate. No one else. Let them try to take her. Father and Mother will _never_ agree.

Oh goodness. Now he was beginning to sound like the spoiled brat of the family.

With a jolt, Sasuke saw that he was at the gates of his house. Eyes narrowed, he walked into the frontcourt. There was something strange. It was so quiet and still –

"Welcome home, Sasuke!"

And he was suffocated by a whole group of people.

"Wha – What?" he spluttered.

Ino, who had managed to latch on to his chest – ugh – looked behind his back. "Sasuke-kuuuuun, where's Naruto?"

"Who?" he asked stupidly.

"Naruto," Kiba repeated. His eyes were worried, and Akamaru yapped. "She went to get you at 4:30. It's 5 right now. Did you… Didn't you see her at all, Sasuke?" The stunned raven-haired boy shook his head, and Kiba hissed a curse. "Would she have gotten lost?"

"I don't think so…" Neji said. "At first I thought she was joking when she told me, but she _does_ have an extraordinary sense of sight and smell. I doubt she'll get lost in a village she's so accustomed to."

Hinata nervously murmured, "I… I'm s-sure Naru-chan is f-fine. She's probably b-buying a present f-for S-Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke blinked. _Present? What present?_

"But we already bought presents for Sasuke-kun," Sakura answered, glancing at the raven-haired boy and blushing deeply.

_**What**__ presents? _The perplexed boy cleared his throat and said courteously, "Um, I'm sure that dobe is fine, and if you guys finished your business here, you may leave."

They stared at him as if he were the biggest idiot in the whole world.

"Dude!" Kiba exclaimed. "The party didn't even _start_ yet."

Definitely confused now. "What party?"

Shikamaru managed in a "How troublesome" before the rest of the group – except for Neji, Hinata, and Shino, of course – screamed, "THE BIRTHDAY PARTY, SASUKE!! WHY ELSE DO YOU THINK WE WOULD BE HERE?!"

Whoa whoa whoa. What the heck was going on? Sasuke knew shock was written all over his face. "M-my _birthday_?" he demanded, flabbergasted. "How did you guys know it was my birthday? I don't remember telling you guys…"

Chouji replied matter-of-factly, "Naruto. She was the one that wanted this surprise party for you."

**NARUTO??**

Sasuke coughed, trying to regain his composure. "W-well, it certainly was a surprise party. I… I thank you all."

"Don't thank us," Neji said. "Thank Naruto. She was crying this morning when she realized it was your birthday and that she forgot about it at first."

**NARUTO WAS CRYING?? JUST BECAUSE SHE FORGOT IT WAS HIS **_**BIRTHDAY**_**?!**

Uh-oh. His brain was beginning to stop functioning. Not good. Definitely _not _good for his reputation.

Shikamaru sighed. "How about we just start this party? I'm sure Naruto is okay. She'll just join later. We won't cut the cake until she's back, but let's get started on the games." There was a cheer, and Sasuke was dragged into the house.

_A-arigatou, dobe…_

**XXX**

At first, Sasuke had no thrill. He simply did not want to join their fun game of tag or hide-and-seek or whatever it was. But hearing them complain was more annoying. So at last, the birthday boy groaned and stood up, saying, "I'm… _readytoplay_."

They shouted loudly. Ino shouted the loudest.

After tiring themselves out, the group went to the living room and began watching a horror movie. Oh wonderful. Sakura kept on glancing "secretively" at him, and joy… Ino was snuggling against his chest. Sasuke didn't get it. Naruto always did that, but when the dobe did it, it was… well, it was different. He didn't know why. It just was. He used the excuse "I want to use the bathroom," and Sasuke quickly got into the hall, breathing in relief. And then froze.

He didn't notice Neji wasn't watching the movie. Instead, the Hyuuga was in the hallway, speculating at the picture that hung from the wall. Which one was it? Sasuke couldn't see –

Oh. That one.

Neji saw Sasuke, and the older boy asked him stiffly, "When was this taken?"

Sasuke looked at it, and his mouth curved up into an involuntary smile. The Uchiha household took family pictures annually, and it would always be the same. Four Uchihas with their smiles fixed in place would gaze into the camera.

Except this year.

In the center was she, the disastrous miracle that fell upon his family. Grinning as widely as she could – angel-blue eyes sparkling like their usual self – Naruto's hand was up in a peace sign, and her other arm was around Sasuke's neck in a playful attempt to smother him.

They were all laughing.

Yes, Fugaku could be seen chuckling at the younger two, Mikoto grinning, and Itachi… He had a composed smile gracing his dignified face, but amusement danced in his eyes. Without much effort, without any of them realizing it, Uzumaki Naruto had become a part of the family.

"Oh, this year. Around February," Sasuke replied, shrugging. "Why – "

"I beg all thy freaking pardon for being so late! You may all come out and welcome me home now, and I shall explain after we cut the cake! I'm _starving, _people!" shouted that all-too familiar voice.

There was a scurrying of feet, and then staggered gasps arose from everyone. Wanting to see what mangled thing Naruto probably dragged home with her, Sasuke ran to the front door with Neji following speedily behind him. The raven-haired boy looked over the heads of others, and his mouth fell open in astonishment as well.

Lip-gloss. Pink, shiny lip-gloss coated her red lips. She had on some blush, and her ocean-blue eye shadow brought out the color of her cerulean eyes. Her silky, radiant blond hair was curled and wavy and twisted into two little pigtails that hung over her shoulder. And her dress. It was a baby-blue dress that fell to her knees, and it was _fancy_. Beyond fancy.

She…

_She_ was beyond fancy.

The girl in the center of attention snorted. "Some welcome this is. Allow me to explain first then, and we shall cut the cake afterwards?"

"Please," Shikamaru said, eyes ogling at her.

Naruto rolled her eyes. "You guys do know looks aren't everything? So just because you've never seen me in a dress or makeup before, don't gawk at me like that. I'm still the _same_ Naruto." The small blonde could tell by everybody's eyes that they didn't believe her, and she sighed. "Fine. I'll act like how I look." She pursed her shiny little lips and battered her alluring eyelashes.

"Funny story," she began in a high-pitched, prissy tone. "So, I was like, walking down the street, like minding my own business, you know? And like, I heard a splash, and well, _what do you know_? A little toddler fell into the frigging river. Being the _charming_ girl I was, I, like, jumped in, rescued the _poor _thing, and got to shore. But, like, I was, like, wet, you know? So the grandmother took me in, gushing about what a _brave_, young lady I was."

Naruto sighed in mock tragedy. "At first, it was simply wonderful, hearing the old woman tell me how magnificent I was. But like, I already _knew_ I was outstanding, so like, she didn't need to rub it in my face so many times, you know? So, to get her to let me off, I told her I had to, like, attend a party. And guess what?" She stopped and glanced around the room. Everyone held in their breath, and Naruto grinned. "She turned out to be like, a _fashion _designer! Isn't that _dazzling_? So she, like, dressed me up, which took, like, a looooong time, and now, here I am!"

Nobody spoke, and after a while, Naruto gave one snorting laugh. "Oh c'mon guys," she said in her normal immature voice. "I had no choice! I couldn't tell the baabaa _no_. She was such a kind lady. I'mma go change right now." She didn't walk one step forward before the mass of people glomped her.

"NO!" they screamed. "DON'T CHANGE!"

Naruto blinked, and then deadpanned. "Dudes, makeup _sucks. _It feels like my lips are gonna dry up and my eyes are coated with tar. And I _detest _dresses, all right? It's funky running around in my underwear."

All the boys – including Sasuke, he had to admit – blushed. Ino gasped and clasped a hand across the blonde's mouth, though she took special care as to not touch the blonde's lip-gloss. "Naru-chan! You do not talk like that! You're a _lady_!!"

Naruto rolled her eyes another time and was about to make a retort when…

she saw Sasuke standing in the back. And her face split into a huge, foxy grin that was meant only for him. And only him. "Sasuke!" she cried in an elated baby manner, and leaping upwards, she managed to get away from the throng of people and race over to the surprised – but pleased (no way is he gonna confess that) – boy. Throwing her arms around his neck, Naruto crushed Sasuke into a big embrace. And he found out that he didn't mind it at all.

"I'm so sorry Sasuke," she whispered. "I completely forgot."

He smirked down at her. "I didn't expect you to remember."

"Hey!" Naruto punched his stomach lightly. "Be _quiet_, teme!"

"You do not act like that. You are a _lady_," he replied, lips twitching, and Naruto growled in irritation. But she gave him another warm hug, which he found himself returning. What? _No_, he did n – Oh, whatever. It was his birthday. The blonde, as if knowing what was going on in his mind, smiled at him and kissed both his cheeks.

"I'm gonna change," she said in a louder voice so the other people could hear her. "And that's that," Naruto added swiftly when they opened their mouths to argue. "I hate this icky, disgusting – "

Smirk. "I like it."

Her eyes flickered upward to meet his. They stared at each other for a long time before Naruto asked for everyone else in the room, "_Huh_?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and looked at her inquiringly. "What do you _think_ I'm saying?"

She spluttered, "B-but Sasuke! I hate dresses! You know that!"

"Yeah… so what?"

"Argh! So I don't want to wear one!"

Smirk. "It's my birthday. I make the rules. You wear the dress."

"Sasuke!"

"It's not gonna kill you…"

She glared. "Fine. But you know what?"

He looked at her suspiciously. "What?"

"I'mma eat ten slices of cake and get so fat that I won't fit this dress anymore. So there, teme."

They all began laughing.

"Stuff your face as you _like_," Sasuke grinned – Ino and Sakura swooned, and even Hinata looked like she was blushing. But Naruto grinned wildly back.

"You _bet_ I will."

**XXX**

Itachi felt sort of guilty. He hadn't kept his promise, and he came back as late as ever. So when he arrived home, he expected an angry blonde standing at the doorway. But all was quiet, and there was only a candle lit in the family room. Curious, Itachi walked into the room and saw his two parents smiling tearfully – and joyfully – at the camera. Mikoto, upon seeing Itachi's return, beckoned him over, and he looked at the pictures that the camera took.

Her face shone brilliantly in all of them, and her outfit! Itachi blinked. Where had she gotten that? And the makeup…

"Isn't she adorable?" Mikoto sniffed. "She's the sweetest thing that ever lived on this earth. I cannot thank the Hokage enough for bringing that precious angel into our family." Fugaku chuckled.

"She does look like an angel, doesn't she? I do question about her apparel. Where? It couldn't be Yushika-san, could it? But that dress looks just like the ones Yushika-san used to make when she was younger."

Mikoto smiled. "That doesn't matter. I know Naruto wouldn't steal it. That child's one hundred percent angel." The woman then sighed. "I wish I were there when the party was still going on. It must've such a blast…" She rested her head on her husband's shoulder.

_Meanwhile…_

She had heard him come in, and the girl tapped Sasuke's shoulder. "Ichi-niichan is home."

He grunted.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me. Sasuke, what's the difference between girls and boys?"

Sasuke opened his eyes to look at her with exasperation. "The difference?"

"Yeah."

The raven-haired boy shrugged. "I don't know. Boys are stronger?"

"Why? Is it because of that soldier you guys have? So you think you're stronger?"

He rolled his eyes. "What soldier?"

"You know," she persisted. "That soldier." The expression on his face must've blank, for Naruto snorted. "Oh never mind. It doesn't matter."

"Thank you," Sasuke muttered sarcastically. "May I go back to sleep now, since it _is _twelve o'clock?"

"You are such a grouch at night," she hissed back. But anyhow, the little blonde wiggled closer to Sasuke's warm body – forget the "stay in your own bedcovers" rule – and she placed her head next to his chest. _Bah-bump. Bah-bump. Bah-bump._

"Why do you always do that?" he asked out of curiosity.

"Do what?"

"Put your head there."

"Oh." She smiled tiredly. "To listen to your heartbeat."

"What? My _heartbeat_? What for?"

Naruto frowned. "Well, I really don't know. But just hearing it pump like that makes me contented, like… like it's proof that you're alive." He glimpsed at her, but her face was serious so he didn't make a comment. The girl sighed. "I'm _so_ weird."

He smirked. "Uh huh." Then his onyx eyes softened, and he lightly pulled the girl's head nearer to his chest. "Oyasumi," Sasuke murmured, closing his eyes again. The boy added, "Thanks for the birthday party, dobe."

_Bah-bump. Bah-bump. Bah-bump._

"No problem. Anytime, teme."

**XXX**

Sasuke sat on the normal spot above the lake, brooding and staring at his reflection. He sighed. What happened last week… He couldn't get it out of his head. Shisui… _dead_? And what was with niichan's eyes? They were different than the normal Sharingan. Did… did niisan really kill Shisui?

And then there was Father. Was Sasuke just merely a replacement for Itachi? That when Father and Itachi's relationship becomes strained, Sasuke was finally remembered? The raven-haired boy scowled and immediately regretted it. Learning that fire jutsu sure had some drawbacks.

Against his will, his mind conjured a memory…

"_You know the saying 'it's never too late?'"_

"_Y-yeah?"_

"_Don't believe in that crap. It's not true. Not one tiny bit of it. There's a time limit to everything, and well, if you don't grab the chance when it's there, you might never get the opportunity again. Nothing lasts forever."_

Grr. Usuratonkachi.

She had been gone for two weeks. The Hokage seemed to want to take the little blonde on a trip to Lightning Country. The dobe was coming back in two days, and Sasuke felt something like revulsion bubble up in his chest when… when he realized…

That he missed her and couldn't wait for her to come back.

The predicaments that were now arising in the family… Was it because that the dobe _wasn't_ here that these problems have begun appearing? Every fiber in Sasuke's being protested venomously against this thought, but he couldn't deny the doubt in the back of his head. Was his family so dependent on that tiny blue-eyed, blond-haired freak? That if she were to leave, his whole family would just collapse?

Argh. Headache.

Sasuke sighed again. He decided the best way to work off all this stress is to train. Train, train, and train until he drops.

Or until the dobe comes ba –

No way.

He…

All right. He missed her.

"Hurry up and get your butt home so you can calm down the tension in the house," Sasuke muttered, standing up. "You usuratonkachi."

**XXX**

Eh.

Eh.

Eh.

Maybe she should've taken up that offer from the Hokage when he suggested bringing her home…

Eh.

Eh.

Eh.

Her eyes flickered from left to right.

Eh…

She nervously shifted from one foot to another.

Eh…

Her eyebrows twitched.

Eh…

"Just where the heck am I?!" Naruto finally shouted, throwing up her hands. Her voice resounded all over the place. Not that it mattered. Nobody was here to hear it except for _her_. Great. She was _lost_? Okay, at first, she took the wrong turn. But then, it ended up with more wrong turns, and now, she was in this huge desolate court with no one but herself. Wonderful. Absolutely _spiffing_.

Naruto began walking forward. Oh well. She'll manage somehow. And if it really comes to it, she'll survive on rats and all that. And not bathe for like, ten years. And grow long, filthy hair. And become "wild."

Not.

In.

A.

Billion.

Years.

Suddenly, the sound of people talking in whispers – but not really whispers because they think that no one will hear – floated by and Naruto perked up. She quiet tiptoed over, and the little blonde listened to the conversation from behind a corner.

Naruto didn't know how badly she would regret it later.

"You understand?" a man asked in a business-like manner.

"Hai. I understand."

Naruto frowned. She heard this voice before.

"Everything counts on the success of this mission. If you were to fail, this whole thing will fail. I hope you will take that to mind, boy. And don't make the killing too messy so that people will wonder like they did with Shisui's death."

"Hai."

The man grumbled. "All right. I'll leave this to you. Don't screw up." There was a shadow that flashed against the murky, indigo night sky as the person left. Naruto stared unseeingly at the ground, heart thumping. Mission? A mission…? Are they… Are they criminals? Were they going to try to kill the villagers? If so, what –

"Come out of hiding, Naruto," the remaining person said coolly.

She jolted.

How did he know…?

Trembling, she timidly walked out from behind the wall.

And gasped.

"I-Ichi-niichan?" she whispered.

He gazed emotionlessly at her. "When did you get back?"

"J-Just, niichan. I g-got lost."

"How much did you hear?"

She bit her lip. "The last few sentences."

Silence.

Naruto's eyes darted to peek at Itachi's face. A quick emotion flitted in the Uchiha's blank eyes before it disappeared, and the blonde wondered if she imagined it. Both didn't move, and the howling of the wind slashed in the dry, autumn air.

His next word made her blood pound heavily in her ears.

"Sorry, Naruto."

She froze and her eyes snapped to glance at his face again. Itachi's bloodshot Sharingan eyes caught her attention, and she gazed into them. The mark in the center of the pupil was different than the regular Sharingan Naruto had seen before.

Her lip quivered. "Wh-what's going _on_, big brother?"

There it was again.

The emotion that she thought she had imagined.

She didn't.

It was there.

She felt like her heart was going to jump out of her throat.

Naruto suddenly had a desire to laugh. Everything was happening so slowly, so muddily. Like she was watching everything from underwater. Itachi's arm bit by bit was raised, and the little sword's blade glinted in the moonlight.

And she accepted it. She was going to die. End of story. Her shivering stopped, and Naruto straightened herself, waiting. _Was it going to hurt? Does a heaven or a hell really exist? Where was she headed? Heaven or hell?_

She realized…

Naruto smiled gently, attempting for the last time to make a smile come to Itachi's face as well. "I forgive you, Ichi-niichan," she whispered only for the man in front of her to hear. "Don't worry. Just don't kill Sasuke, kay? He'll save you. I promise. So please don't look like that."

_Desperation._

The blade fell upon Naruto's body.

**XXX**

He opened his eyes groggily.

It hit him.

_Was it all a dream?!_

Sasuke jolted upright in the bed – and winced. His left shoulder… That's where niisan had cut him with the kunai. It was no dream. It was the whole, damn truth. The Clan was dead. Father and Mother… _**Dead**_.

If she didn't make that little whimper, he would've not even noticed she was in the room. But there the petite blonde was, sprawled out on the table next to his bed. Her eyebrows were furrowed tightly, and she twitched involuntarily in her sleep as she tried running away from whatever monster was chasing her. Sasuke gazed at the girl, and his onyx eyes rested on her back. It was bandaged up tightly, but the wound… It must've not been stitched up very well, for blood was soaking through her white hospital gown.

_She survived…_

"Dobe."

Cerulean eyes snapped open, and they stared – unfocused – at Sasuke for a few moments. But then she recognized the raven-haired boy, and the girl's bottom lip started trembling. "S-Sasuke…"

He said the first thing that came to mind. "Welcome back, usuratonkachi."

With a loud wail, she flung herself at him, and he caught her. Tears filled his eyes as well, and he said in a thick voice, "Thank the gods that you're alive. It… It was terrible. Naruto, I…" The words caught in his throat, and he couldn't speak anymore.

She shook her head frenziedly. "Sasuke, I have to tell you some things," the blonde whispered hysterically. "Please listen. I'm afraid that if I stop, I won't be able to continue anymore. So… I beg of you. Just listen, all right?"

Her bright-blue eyes were etched with panic and shock.

He nodded slowly.

Naruto took a deep, shaky breath and began. "You were asleep for two days. I woke up the next day after… you know, and I was surprised I was still alive. Kaka-sensei and Hokage-jiji told me I was lucky; the hit missed my spine by a mere centimeter." The blonde looked at Sasuke square in the eyes. "But you know what I think? It wasn't luck. It was done on purpose." He opened his mouth, but she cut him to it. "Let me finish, _please_."

He nodded again.

"I was on the way home after ojiji and I arrived back in Konoha. It was around seven or so. I got lost in an area I don't think I've ever been to before, and then I heard voices. When I went to snoop on them, It… It was Itachi talking with some other guy. About completing this mission vital for something."

Naruto's eyes once more flickered upwards to catch Sasuke's, and an understanding passed between the two. "Something happened when I was gone, right? I… And there was something weird with Ichi-niichan's eyes."

Sasuke glanced away. "Yes. A bunch of people came to the house when you were away. They said that Shisui – niisan's best friend – had committed suicide, but they were accusing niisan of killing him. And that night… Niisan told me about it when I got home. About why he killed Shisui. To gain a special kind of Sharingan. That's why his eyes were so weird; Mangekyou Sharingan. You kill your best friend to gain those eyes."

Naruto bit her lip. "So that's why…" She stopped, contemplating. Then, in a hurry, she hissed, "Don't tell anybody about what I'm about to say."

He stared. "What?"

"What I'm going to tell you. Don't tell _anyone,_" she answered, biting her lip harder. A trickle of blood dripped down her chin, but she didn't bother to wipe it. "If you tell too many people, the situation will get too complicated and we might never see him again."

"See who?" Sasuke asked, black eyes narrowing.

"Niichan!" she exclaimed.

His blood boiled. Sasuke snarled back resentfully, "Why would we want to see _him_? Usuratonkachi, he killed the _Clan_. Father and Mother, he _killed them. _Do you not frigging understand that? Are you that big of an idiot?"

She grabbed his shoulders, ignoring the throb that ripped at her back. "Chigau! No!" she whispered back, tears dripping down her whiskered cheeks. "_He didn't do it. _Niichan… _He did it for the mission._"

He blinked. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Didn't I tell you?" she asked frantically. "I saw two people that night. Niichan and _his colleague_."

"**What**?"

She bit her torn lip again. "I… I don't know. I told you. Someone was blabbing on to Ichi-niichan about a mission. And that Ichi-niichan couldn't screw up. There's no way a skilled shinobi like Itachi-niichan could _not _kill me from that point-blank range. Unless… Unless…" Naruto caught Sasuke's eyes again. "Unless he _didn't_ want to kill me. I saw it in his eyes, Sasuke. The look of desperation. He didn't want to kill me. I'm sure he didn't want to kill the Clan either. Niichan needs our help. Sasuke, he musta been _controlled_."

The information echoed around in his head. "So… So…"

"Yes. I don't know why this has happened, or if even this is true. But this point is obvious: we need to save Ichi. Who knows what the boss or whoever it is would make niichan do?" Naruto stopped. "Do… Do you believe me?"

He looked at her. Two large, azure eyes gazed back. They were burning intensely with determination.

"Yes. I do," he at last said.

Naruto's face broke into a wan smile. "Good. I didn't want to do it without you. And about the massacre, Sasuke…"

He tensed.

"Daddy and Mommy are still alive."

His mind went senseless with happiness.

"But they're in dire condition. And in a coma," Naruto added wretchedly. "The doctors don't know when they'll wake up." She sighed, and like she used to, the little girl placed her head against Sasuke's chest.

_Bah-bump. Bah-bump. Bah-bump._

He realized what she was doing. "Is it there?"

_Bah-bump. Bah-bump. Bah-bump._

"Yeah."

_Bah-bump. Bah-bump. Bah-bump._

"How does it sound?"

_Bah-bump. Bah-bump. Bah-bump._

"Healthy."

Sasuke wrapped his arms around her. "Dobe, you're bleeding really badly."

"I don't care."

"If you die as well, I will go commit suicide." Naruto's breath instantly caught in her throat, and the blonde stiffened. Sasuke looked at her in puzzlement. The grip Naruto had on his shirt was slowly tightening, and she started biting her lip again. "D-dobe…" Sasuke said, shocked. "I was kidding."

She stayed quiet.

"D-dobe?"

Naruto finally said softly, "That reminds me of another thing."

He didn't like the expression on her face.

Dead.

Beaten.

Forlorn.

"Dobe?"

She closed her eyes. "Sasuke, I'm leaving."

His mind wouldn't register what she said.

"I…" Naruto murmured, cheeks beginning to get soaked again. "Sasuke, I'm _leaving_."

It… clicked.

And he didn't like it. Sasuke's arms became rigid, and he searched Naruto's blank face in disbelief. "Why?" he whispered feverishly. "Why are you...?"

Naruto still didn't open her eyes. In a vacant voice, she answered weakly, "Ojiji took me on that trip to Lightning Country to tell me of something he had been thinking of ever since I arrived back in Konoha. Being the child of the Yondaime, people will want to kill me. So he devised a plan. When he decided that it wasn't safe anymore, he was gonna send me to his old friend's house up in the mountains, where possibly no one will search for me."

No response.

"Who knew that it was gonna so soon?" Naruto then snarled out, lip curling in disgust. But her face softened, and her lip quivered dangerously again.

The mountain of fiery emotions burst out.

She buried her face into Sasuke's chest and sobbed her pitiful little heart out. The pain… it slashed at her body, and she felt like she was going to split in two. Someone was grabbing one side of her stomach while another person was tugging the other side. It hurt so much…

_Why did all this have to happen?_

Sasuke felt his own tears beginning to trickle down, and he held the blonde closer. "When?"

Her voice was muffled when she replied. "This afternoon."

Sasuke's eyes snapped to the clock on the wall.

Great. Twelve.

_It was noon already._

His hands gripped her arms almost painfully. "If I didn't wake up today, would you…?"

He couldn't finish.

Naruto shook her head furiously, face still pressed against his shirt. "Never," she hissed. "I wouldn't have gone. They can't take me. I had to talk to you. _Had _to."

He begged, "Then stay. Don't leave. I… I don't know how I'm going to…"

Naruto choked in a sob. She lifted up her face and stared into Sasuke with beseeching, angst-ridden eyes. "S-Sasuke, don't do this to me… I… I _have_ to leave. For the safety of everyone in this village. People from the other countries are going to investigate into the Uchiha Massacre soon, and if they find out that _I'm _back, the villagers are going to get hurt because of me."

He turned his head away from her, glaring at the wall. "That's not fair," he snarled with clenched teeth. "It's not fair why you should leave just for everyone else."

Naruto looked at the floor, not wanting to see his tormented face either. She murmured miserably, "It's not fair that they should get hurt if I were to stay."

His temper got the best of him, and the raven-haired boy broke out of their grasp. He leapt out of the bed – which was now drenched with blood and tears – and he glowered at the blonde. The boy roared, "Why do you frigging care about the other people in Konoha?! Why do you freaking give a _damn_ about them?! Is this your charity thing? About how you have to be heroic for every crappy person there is on the planet?!"

Terrible silence.

She stood up slowly, and her bangs covered up her eyes so he couldn't see her expression. Then… like every second passing was really an hour… she looked up. And instead of seeing _something_, he saw nothing. Her eyes were blank and guarded, her face no emotion. _Just like when he first saw her_. With one hand raised, she wiped at the blood that trickled down her lip.

"You're right, Sasuke," she said coldly. "I don't give a damn about them. I don't."

Silence.

Like in slow motion, he saw her move.

One step forward.

_No…_

Two steps.

_What did he do?!_

She was walking by him.

_He wanted to reach out to her, to apologize._

Now she was walking behind him.

_He couldn't talk. He couldn't stir. He couldn't do anything._

She reached the door.

_He didn't bother to turn around. Why should he? To agonize himself further?_

The door creaked open.

_She's leaving._

And his eyes widened in incredulity.

"Teme, don't you ever forget. Don't you dare believe in that 'it's never too late,'" she spat out in a spiteful voice. "You never did tell your father about how you thought about your relationship with each other, huh? Well, look at what happens. I hope this serves as a lesson for all of us."

Silence. He didn't budge.

But –

Without any warning, without any chance for him to prepare for it, Naruto barked a sharp laugh, and then shouted at the top of her lungs, "You know what, Sasuke?! You're right; I don't give a crap for the other people in Konoha!!" Her voice suddenly cracked, but she shrieked piercingly, "I'm leaving because I give a _damn_ about _you_, you dumbass bastard!! You and only you. I…" In a hiss, she muttered, "_Sayonara_, Uchiha Sasuke. It's been a good year."

When he turned, he saw only her bloody back and the ends of her golden hair.

The words she had hollered and her loud footsteps resounded throughout the entire hall.

He couldn't breathe.

_She's gone…_

* * *

Sorry!

I know a lot of you picked "d," but that was becuz you wanted Itachi to be good.

Okay then. So I made Itachi good, but for the story plot, it was also necessary for Naruto to leave. You'll see.

T.T And the latest chapter in the manga... You've gots to read it. It changes all of your opinion about Itachi, and woe. Stupid dumbass idiot of a brother Sasuke is...

HE FRIGGIN KILLED THE ONLY ONE THAT WAS TRYING TO PROTECT HIM!!

grrrrr...

Yea. Please review!! 3 plz. ;)

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	6. Reunion Part I

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**Author's note: **I've picked up writing this fanfic again, but I realized that I wanted to make a lot of editing and corrections, so I deleted the last chapter and some of the end of this chapter. I'm almost done writing the _**new**_ Chapter 6, so please, bear with me, all right? 3 The new chapter will be up either _today_ or next Sunday. You can always review to motivate me!

XOXO~

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**Chapter 5: Reunion (Part I)**

* * *

He sat near the edge of the bed, body stiff and unbendable. It was more of a ritual now. Something he did everyday. Like breathing. Thinking. Eating. He didn't like coming here. It reminded him of many things. Things that were too painful, too wearisome. But what else was there to do? He trained most of the day away, and during his spare time, he trained some more. Simple.

Breathing.

Thinking.

Eating.

His onyx eyes came to rest of their faces again. He had seen them lying on that same bed for six years, yet their expressions had never changed. Nor had the color of their skin. The same, same, same.

Unresponsive.

Lifeless.

Pallid.

Wan.

And if it weren't for the machine at the corner of the small room, beeping whenever their hearts gave a feeble thump, Sasuke could not tell that his parents were alive.

Coma?

What a joke.

They were more like zombies.

The tired teenage boy stood up awkwardly. Bowing, he said, "Kaasan. Tousan. I'll be leaving. See you tomorrow." Then, turning without a single glance backwards, Uchiha Sasuke walked out of the hospital room.

Five minutes. He stayed in that room for five minutes.

Two more minutes than how much he stayed yesterday.

What a waste of time.

He could've been training.

**XXX**

She groaned.

_Shit. _

They were tracking her again. They never did give up, huh? The poor girl wondered how much their boss paid them. Must've been a lot, since they've been chasing her for two dreary weeks. If she didn't know any better, if she had no purpose to return to _that_ village, the girl probably would've just let them capture her. Just for the hell of it. Just for the monotony to end.

But frick. That stupid baabaa gave her a message to deliver to the kuso-jiji, and well, she promised. So she would.

Either way, though, _shit_.

Simply her good luck.

She rolled her eyes. Konoha wasn't far off. But the two crappy assassins behind her… She needed to get rid of them before she arrived at the village. Except how? They were stronger and far more experienced than she was. There was no way she'll beat them without any help. She had already tried and ended up with a busted arm.

Oh screw that.

Konoha ought to have some strong shinobi.

Naruto picked up a faster speed, hoping to lose them. Nonetheless, with a jolt, she felt her trackers' chakra signatures start moving towards her with a quicker pace as well.

"Dammit," she snarled, and the girl began dashing the final miles to Konoha.

**XXX**

It was a beautiful Sunday morning. The dew glistened on the leaves of the bright green plants, and the sun shone gloriously through the spaces between trees. Somewhere a little sparrow chirped, and another soon answered it.

Kiba was training with Akamaru in the forest just outside of Konoha. It was almost the start of the Chuunin Exams, and Kiba was nervous. They were going to be the rookie class of this year, and that did not bode well. Akamaru must've felt Kiba's restive energy for the faithful dog gave a reassuring yip.

Kiba looked up at the dog on his head and smiled lightly.

"Thanks, Akamaru," he said, petting the white bundle of fur. "I needed that."

Akamaru barked again, his tail wagging furiously.

Kiba laughed, feeling his spirits soar. "'Kay, then, Akamaru, let's practice some more!" The teenager took out some shuriken out of his pouch and poised, ready to attack. Taking a deep breath, Kiba was about to let the throwing stars fly out of his hands when he heard loud noises coming deep within the forest.

Kiba glanced at Akamaru warily.

"You hear that, boy?" he whispered.

Akamaru growled in agreement.

Now it was apparent someone was there.

To be exact, he or she was running pretty fast.

"What the crap?" Kiba muttered.

Deafening crackling of the branches.

And bam! A black-haired, stocky looking boy came jumping out of the bushes. Kiba's mouth fell open in astonishment, and he froze. Akamaru instantly began snapping ferociously at the intruder, but the boy took no notice.

"Shit!" he exclaimed after catching sight of Kiba, and he grabbed the stunned boy's hand. "We've got to get out of here, man! Doggy, you freaking come too. Shut your mouth and hurry! No time to waste! Up up up!"

Kiba suddenly found himself dragged against his will towards the gates of Konoha with Akamaru panting heavily behind them to keep up. "Boy!" Kiba shouted to the guy running in front of him. "Who the bloody hell are you? Where the crap are we going, dammit?"

"Going?" the boy yelled over his shoulder. "Man, isn't it obvious?! We're going to get away from those frigging apes chasing us!"

Kiba stared at the newcomer with skeptical eyes. "What are you talking about? What ap – " Two arrows whizzed by them, and Kiba flinched. "What the _hell_?!"

The black-haired boy snorted. "Those apes. Now c'mon! Let's get Konoha's skilled ninjas work this out! Run, dude!"

Kiba didn't need to be told twice.

Trees flew by swiftly as they ran on, and Kiba was quickly losing his breath. But the sound of people pursuing them forced him to run faster, and it fueled energy to his exhausted legs. There! There, where the trees were beginning to clear out, were the beloved wooden gates of Konoha. Kiba barely had the breath to shout, "Oi! Over here! Help us!" to the sentries before falling to his knees, wheezing and huffing.

The four sentries hastily leapt up from their positions near the gates and raced over to the three.

"What's happening?" one of them asked the black-haired boy.

The stranger pointed to the woods. "Apes alert. Watch out though. They're tough. I'm not sure what country they're from, but definitely not in this area. They carry poisoned darts." The boy rolled up his white sleeve. His arm was bandaged, but it was starting to bleed… purple blood? "Took me three days of trying to mend this wound with my poor chakra abilities before I got the most of the damn poison out of my system. I still got some left in there. Can't feel my arm." Then he gave the stunned sentries a cocky grin. "Don't die!"

Whoosh.

Two masked and cloaked figures appeared before them, and they were both holding long swords. But Kiba glanced at their legs, and sure enough… Darts.

The bigger one of the two stepped forward. "We will not fight. We only want him."

The sentries and Kiba turned to look at the boy. One sentry asked the stranger in a cagey voice, "Who are you?"

The boy gave him an offended glare. "Friend of Hokage."

"He lies!" the leader of the two cloaked figures shouted, and without any warning, he jumped up, about to swing his sword down at the boy. The black-haired boy readied himself and whisked out some shuriken.

"Bring it on," he snarled.

Luckily for Konoha, help arrived just on time.

"Maa," Kakashi said calmly, suddenly materializing next to Kiba with an unconscious cloaked shape in his arms. "What's this?"

Iruka appeared from behind the remaining masked stranger, kunai at the trembling man's throat. "Seems to be Lightning Country, Kakashi."

But Kakashi didn't seem to hear. Instead, the silver-haired ninja's one visible eye was wide, and his attention was directed at the black-haired boy. "It's… No, it can't be…"

The boy, noticing that his two enemies were either captured or unconscious, gave a sigh of relief. "Whew. They were such a pita. Been after my damn tracks for a frigging two weeks. I thank you." The boy stopped, and he lifted up his amber eyes to gaze at Kakashi's and Iruka's bewildered faces. The black-haired stranger grinned widely. "Kaka-sensei. Iruka-sensei." And then the boy's piercing stare landed on Kiba's face, and it flickered to Akamaru who was on Kiba's head. "And to you, Dog Breath-sama. 'Hayo, Aka-chan."

There was only one person that had ever called Kiba Dog Breath-sama.

And he had been told that she had got her memories back.

And had returned to her family.

But this boy here…

Iruka broke the silence. "N… Na…" the young man stuttered. "Na…"

The boy laughed a tinkling laugh. "All right," he said. "If it's necessary for you guys." Performing some hand signs, he then muttered, "Kai!"

Poof.

Right after the smoke cleared, the twelve-year-old sturdy boy was gone. Instead, a lithe and petite teenage girl – whiskered cheeks – with long, radiant-golden hair stood in his place. And had the most beautiful cerulean eyes that Kiba had ever saw.

Or rather, the most beautiful cerulean eyes that Kiba had seen in a _very_ long time.

Six years, to be exact.

"Naruto…" Kiba whispered quietly, as if in a daze.

Azure eyes snapped over to meet his for a second time. There was a hush, but it was broken by her big grin and chiming giggle. "Long time no see, Dog Breath," she teased.

In three steps, Kiba was by her side, crushing her in a tight embrace. "Oh my god. Naru-chan, when… How…" He grabbed her shoulders and gawked at the blonde. "Explain. Explain and don't leave a _single_ thing out."

She grimaced. "Oh, dude. My arm? Didn't I show you guys? I can feel at least _some_ pain if you _squeeze_ it, man." He hastily dropped her arms, but his searching, almost frantic, eyes never left her face. Naruto sighed deeply. "I really don't feel like talking right now. I need to see the kuso-jiji before I forget this damn message that the baabaa made me repeat like a billion times. Major bullshit."

Kiba mentally reeled back. His auburn eyes gazed into her sky-blue eyes, and he finally grasped it. The thing that he had missed upon his excitement in seeing her back.

She had changed. She no longer was the little innocent girl he knew. There was a cloudy veil covering her eyes. They were haunted looking. It was as if Naruto had seen things more than the regular fourteen-year-old should. And her voice. It was tomboyish. Rough. Sarcastic. Not childlike anymore.

There was nothing childlike about the teenager standing before him.

Naruto must've realized Kiba was inspecting her, and she must've seen the puzzlement etched in his tanned face for her big grin fell into a tiny, forlorn smile. One hesitant hand came up to rest on her arm. "I'm different, ain't I?" she asked faintly. "I always knew it. But I guess I needed to come back and to check with you guys to really confirm it."

He felt guilt slash at his chest, and his arms gently wrapped around her little body once more. "Change? Naru-chan, you've barely grown an inch. How long do you expect for us to look down on you?"

That broke the ice.

She gave an indignant gasp and tried to smack his arm, just she used to do. "Kiba!" Naruto exclaimed, mouth open in outrage. "I am not short! I'm just… just a late bloomer. So there."

He eyed her… womanly chest. "Mhmm."

Her mouth fell open even wider and she tried to slap him. "Hentai! Perv!"

Kiba laughed, and Akamaru jumped from his head and fell into Naruto's outstretched arms. "Okaeri. Welcome back, Naruto. It's all right if you don't want to tell me everything right now. But I'll keep asking."

Naruto scratched Akamaru's white head. "Kay. Keep on waiting, Kiba." The blonde turned her attention to the two shocked men standing next to them. "And you have nothing to say to me after all these years, Kaka-sensei? Iruka-sensei?" she inquired with sparkling sapphire eyes.

Kakashi broke out of the trance. He was immediately at the blonde's side and examining her hurt arm. Well, not before ruffling her hair affectionately. "We'll catch up with everything later. Your arm?" he asked.

Before Naruto could answer, Iruka could be heard tying his captive up, and the man was next to Naruto in a second as well. He was less formal.

"Itai!" Naruto said, wincing. "Iruka-sensei! You're squishing me to death." Iruka let go of the girl reluctantly.

"I'm so sorry," Iruka-sensei said sincerely to Naruto. She understood the hidden meaning in the apology and shook her head.

"No. Don't worry. That baabaa wasn't so bad. These six years passed pretty _darn_ fast," the teenage girl reassured the troubled man. "I'm fine. And so is my arm, Kaka-sensei. It's healing hella fast."

Kakashi sighed. "Maa, either way, we've got to have a medic nin check that up. And you say you need to talk to the Hokage?"

Naruto shrugged. "Better now than never." She turned to Kiba, who shot her a grin.

"It's all right. I won't come," he said again. "You'll tell me when you're ready. And I'm pretty sure there's someone in town that you'll gonna want to visit first…"

Naruto's eyes widened. After a few moments, she bit her lip and looked at the ground. "How is… he?"

Kiba's face was bleak. "Truth?"

She glanced up at his face. "_Please_."

It was an anxious but firm whisper.

Kiba looked away. "Not doing too well. Kakashi-san can catch you up on that."

Naruto glanced at Kakashi, whose head was tilted up at the sky, slyly avoiding those sapphire eyes. "Kaka-sensei?"

The silver-haired ninja coughed. "Maa, I guess you should know. As you said, better now than never." He paused. "Haruno Sakura. Uchiha Sasuke. Sai from Root. And me. We make up Team 7. Maa, let's just say Sasuke doesn't really get along with the other people. He's… very cold towards others now. I'm not sure if he's how you'll expect him to be."

"Nay," she replied quietly. "I ain't expecting anything from him, sensei. Just want to see his damn face again. That's all."

**XXX**

The Hokage smiled at her. "It truly is good to see you again, Naruto-chan."

She shrugged. "No matter. Good to see you too, jiji. What are you gonna do about the baabaa's message?"

"There is nothing we can do unless the other country makes a move themselves," Sarutobi answered truthfully. "Just because Satoshi-san told us that Lightning Country is plotting something bad doesn't necessarily mean it's gonna happen right now."

Naruto's face hardened. "The assassins that were after me? You say the interrogation will be later. But Iruka-sensei said they might be from Lightning Country. They were the ones that killed Satoshi-baachan."

The Sandaime bowed his head. "Once more, I'm very sorry to hear that."

Naruto shrugged nonchalantly again. "Why would you? I mean, Satoshi-baachan to you is just another person besides everyone else you have to take care of in this village. Why would you say you're sorry?"

There were outraged mutters from the ANBU crowd, but the Hokage cut them short with one raised hand. Sarutobi then examined Naruto carefully. "Child, I assume something has happened to you?" he asked softly.

She smirked. "Something happens to everyone."

"You will not speak of it?"

She shook her head. "Shan't, kuso-jiji."

Sarutobi sighed. "Very well. Now we shall move on to where you shall live. If you want – "

"What?" she inquired, surprised. "Live? Kuso-jiji, I'm just here to visit, ain't I?"

The Hokage blinked. "No, you are not. You are living here. Satoshi-san is dead, isn't that what you said? Then you shall be living again here in Konoha." Naruto opened her mouth, but Sarutobi smiled. "It's all right. The danger is over. At least, it should be. You can fight now, can you not? I'm assuming Satoshi has taught you some ninja skills."

Naruto rolled her eyes. "Some here and there." She stopped. "So I'll be living here yet again?" she asked quietly.

The Hokage's eyes crinkled into a warm smile. "Yes. And I assume you'll be living where you used to live?"

"Of course," she replied matter-of-factly, standing up. "Where else would I live? Now may I be excused?"

"One more thing," Sarutobi said, standing up as well. "There's something called the Chuunin Exams about to go on right now. Do you know what that is?"

Naruto looked thoughtful. "Satoshi-baachan told me a little about it in her stories. The rank above 'genin,' right? So basically people compete against the other country ninja to get the title 'chuunin.'"

The Sandaime nodded his head. "Correct. It's good to know that Satoshi-san taught you some quite important information. Yet the look on your face… You do not approve of the Chuunin Exams?"

Naruto snorted. "Hell no. It's crap to me. I mean, you just fight and fight. There's no point. Why waste the damn energy?"

"So you gain experience. Some week I'll be putting you in one match to see your skills."

The girl stiffened. "Oh? Really?" she asked under her breath in a sardonic voice.

The Hokage was stunned. "You… do not want to?"

"Well," she answered. "I just don't like fighting. But it's all right. And the medical ninjas said my arm would heal in three days if I use their damn medicine. So I guess I even have time to train a little." She paused, considering something. "All right then. May I be excused?"

"You may. Do you still remember the way to the Uchiha Estate?"

She laughed bitterly. "Don't worry. I made a vow to never get lost again. Terrible things happen when you get lost. I should know." With a flick of her hand and a nod towards the ANBU guards, Naruto left the room.

**XXX**

Naruto walked down the streets of Konoha at ease. After all, nobody would really identify her. Not without a lot of experience like Kakashi-sensei and Iruka-sensei. She was in her "safe" mode again. Thick and short black hair. Amber eyes. Young. Stocky. But most of all, a boy.

She sighed wearily. Somehow, she had thought she'd at least be happy to be back.

Surprise.

_Total opposite. _

Well, not really. She did feel joy bubble in inside of her when she saw Kiba and Akamaru's faces again, but it was… remote. Like she was feeling it from a far distance away. And instead, she dreaded seeing everyone once more. She didn't like company. Company meant…

Naruto frowned. She seriously had changed… without even noticing it.

Was that supposed to be a good thing?

She scowled. Naruto suddenly heard laughing and loud noises come from behind her. The girl – boy, whatever – became curious and turned around.

And felt the world spin to a stop.

Hinata.

Shino.

Kiba.

Her eyes became wide, and she couldn't breathe. Dammit! She didn't want to start talking to everyone of the way _home_. Hell, she didn't even see home once yet. And…

_Wait a minute._

The girl realized with a start that she was in a _disguise_. There was no way that they would recognize her. So…

Except for Kiba. He knew.

Kiba had stopped talking upon seeing her, and they had stared at each other for what seemed to be an eternity. But Naruto gathered her wits together, and she feigned delight. "Kiba, dude!" she – he – said, grinning. "I didn't know you were out, man!"

Kiba blinked in befuddlement but caught on pretty fast. "Er…" he coughed out. "Yes. I was training. These are my team members. Hinata. Shino."

Naruto nodded to the two. "Yoroshiku. I'm… er…" She – he – choked. "Higure, cousin of Kiba. I don't believe he told you about me?"

Hinata blushed, looking sideways. "N-no. Nice to meet you, Higure-kun. It's a p-pleasure to meet you."

Shino merely nodded.

Naruto could scarcely hold in her grin. Same ole Shino and Hinata.

"Wh-where are you going?" Hinata stuttered out.

Naruto smiled. "Home. Came out to chill, y'know?"

"I… I s-see. D-do you live in the same h-house as Kiba-kun?" Hinata questioned politely.

"Oh no," Naruto replied, thinking fast. "There's no room. I'm…" Pause. "… staying somewhere else," she then finished lamely. "You? Out trainin' wit Kiba too?"

"Y-yeah," she answered, still not meeting Naruto's eyes.

Naruto then turned her amber gaze to Shino. "You?"

"Training."

The girl smiled in a wise manner. There was a moment of awkward silence before Naruto laughed shakily and said, "Well, people, I guess I'll be going? I wanna catch some sleep. Bum tired."

The girl nodded at the three – meaningful glance at Kiba – and turned around, ready to walk off.

Shino spoke.

"You are the same age as us. Fourteen."

She froze. Her mind was racing, and she felt panic rise up in her chest. _Dammit!_ But Naruto thought fast, and she faked innocence. Circling around slowly, she smiled a thin smile and asked courteously, "Really?"

Shino looked at Naruto mildly. "It was an assumption."

Her heart had begun beating again.

Whew. It must've been a test.

Naruto's thin smile blossomed into a relieved grin. "You assumed correctly. Yeah, same age as Kiba dude here. You and Hinata-chan same age as well?"

Shino nodded.

"S-So, Higure-kun, are you g-gonna j-join the Chuunin Exams?" Hinata then asked.

She could feel Kiba's gaze on her face, and she bowed her head in a cautious manner. "Yes, the Hokage told me he'll put me in one match to test my skills." There was a sharp intake of breath from Kiba, but luckily nobody noticed except for Naruto. She lifted up her face, all grins. "And, again, I shall be leaving n – "

"Wait," Kiba cut in sharply. "I'mma walk you home, Higure." She shot him a dirty glare, but he just set his mouth in a grim line. "Hinata, Shino, you guys get going. I need to say a few words of advice to my cousin here."

Hinata and Shino, both looking very perplexed, said "hai" and walked by Kiba and Naruto. Naruto waited for them to disappear around a corner before turning to Kiba and looking at him with upraised eyebrows.

"Kiba?"

He shook his head and began walking, motioning her with a quick wave of his hand to follow. Naruto frowned but tagged along. They walked with a steady and slow pace. Every few moments Naruto would look at Kiba's face. His eyes were distant, unfocused, and there were worry lines on his forehead.

It reminded her of someone she knew.

Someone she will meet again very soon.

Her heart…

To clear her mind, Naruto questioned hastily, "Akamaru?"

"With neechan. He was a bit… _too_ thrilled at seeing you, Nar- I mean Higure. He's sleeping it off."

The frown of her face deepened. "It's one o'clock. I came to Konoha at around seven in the mornings."

Kiba shrugged. "Too thrilled. Toldja."

There was another long and dreary silence.

Naruto at last lost her patience. "Kiba!"

He glanced at her and exhaled a long, gusty breath. "You're staying here for real now, ain't you?"

"Yes," she sulked. "Why? You don't want me to?"

He snorted. "Hardly. Just… worried for you."

"For _me_?" Her voice had gone up an octave. "Whatever for, Kiba?"

Kiba sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "I know that during these past six years you haven't met a lot of _human _beings, Higure. So now all of a sudden the Hokage wants to put you in one of the exams. It ain't – "

She laughed freely. Her amber eyes twinkled mischievously, and if anyone were watching, they would've thought this particular boy looked just like a girl. Calming down, Naruto twisted her mouth into a tight smile. "Kiba, you're so sweet. But dude, I know how to fight. Don't worry 'bout me, man. I don't need none of that crap from _you _of all people."

Kiba exhaled again. "I know, I know. Even if I said that it was dangerous and that you should consider withdrawing, you wouldn't listen, would you?"

She rolled her eyes. "Don't make it sound like I volunteered. Fighting's such a messy business."

"Mhmm…" Kiba agreed. His eyes flickered to her arm. "What they say?"

"It'll heal. Don't worry." She smiled gently up at him. "Thanks, man. It really _is_ sweet of you."

He glanced away, a blush on his tattooed cheeks. "You have no idea how weird that is."

Naruto looked at him, eyebrows furrowed. "Eh? How so, dude?"

Kiba said exasperatedly, "_Higure_-san, you are a boy. Boys do not say 'sweet.'"

She deadpanned. "Wow, Kiba. _So_ open-minded. There are gays in this world, if you haven't noticed, my dear _boy_."

"And you're saying you fall under that category?"

"Hmm… and if I say I do?"

His head snapped around to stare at her. His mouth hung open, his eyes about to pop out in shock. "Naruto?!"

"Oh hush it," she hissed. Then snorting at Kiba's stupefied expression, "_Kidding_. Though I really don't know. I'm only fourteen. How can a girl know anything 'bout love and that mushy shit when she's just fourteen, man?"

"Love and shit does not mix together, Higure," Kiba muttered peevishly. "Don't scare me like that. And about fourteen-year-old girls and their love, _right_… I can think of two immediately."

Naruto brightened. "Ino and Sakura?"

Kiba barked a laugh. "Correct."

"Wait…" Naruto then said, baffled. "Sakura?"

"Yup. She and Ino ended their friendship. Seemed they both got the hots for – " Kiba stopped short, eyes widening. He peeked at Naruto tentatively.

Naruto sighed. "Kiba, I'm not gonna faint every time you'll mention Sasuke, all right? And even before I left he was 'Mister Hot.' So I'm guessing he still is. But Sakura…" A roguish look came into Naruto's amber eyes. "Who would've known? She was always so timid, so quiet."

"Not anymore."

Naruto grinned. "I believe you, dude."

They walked quietly on, taking comfort in each other's presence. Naruto's eyes darted everywhere, taking in the place which she had once called home – and soon will again. It was nice to be back, however much she had changed.

"Kiba?"

"Yeah?"

"You wanted to walk with me just to warn me?"

Kiba coughed violently, face turning pink again. "Er, not really." She glanced at him with amused eyes, waiting for his reply. "Wanted to chat with you," he finally answered.

Naruto grinned. "That's sweet."

The tinge of pink became crimson.

"So," the girl – boy – said after an embarrassed silence. "Tell me about Sai."

Kiba looked at Naruto and considered. "Well…" he started uncertainly.

"Yeah? Tell me, dude. I can take it. No heart attack, I promise."

"That's hardly the point. Kakashi-san told you he's from Root, right? You know what that is?"

"Organization thingy that works for Konoha, blah blah."

Kiba snorted. "_Quite_. So since Sai is from there, he has to undergo a training."

"Training…?"

"Correct. To rid himself of all emotions."

Naruto blinked, surprised. "Rid himself of _all_ emotions? Surely not… but… _All_?"

Kiba nodded. "Mhmm. Sai's a bit of an… oddball." The teenager snorted. "But you're gonna meet a whole bunch of other oddballs, so it doesn't really matter. Basically he's an antisocial freak like so many others you know."

Naruto grinned lopsidedly. "Any new freaks?"

Kiba's face paled a little. "This dude with an uber unibrow and wears like a green leotard thing. He's in Neji's group. Year above us. Fifteen."

Naruto tried to imagine it. She grimaced. "Ouch. Can't wait to see that guy. Poor Neji."

Suddenly, the Uchiha Estate came into sight, and Naruto's heart gave a joyful leap. She ran towards the gate, silly grin plastered on her face. Kiba followed, smiling. Naruto came to a stop at the front of the gate, letting all the good memories wash over her.

Home…

"I'll be going home now, Naruto," Kiba said softly after a moment of silence. "You will meet everyone else again, right? You _will, _won't you?"

Her carefree face dropped. "I don't know, man. I really don't. There's a part of me that _does_, but the other part just wants to stay _hidden_. I don't know why. Don't ask…" Her voice trailed off, and she bit her lip. "It's like there are two parts of me. Old Naruto and New… Naruto." Naruto lifted up her eyes to stare worriedly at Kiba, and he for the briefest moment caught a flash of blue in those amber eyes. "And I'm afraid. If they don't like the new me… If they won't accept me for who I am now…"

Kiba didn't care if it'll look weird to any passerby on the dirt road. Instantly he grabbed the 'black-haired boy' into a tight hug. "No way," he growled in her ear. "No _freaking_ way. No matter what happens, you'll still be Naruto, you hear?"

Yes… She heard him. But she also heard something else in her mind. The six-year-old memory was so clear, so _fresh_ that it could've happened yesterday.

_Her face was deep in thought when she asked in a timid voice, "Ne, ne, Sasuke-teme? Do you believe in other worlds? Do you think that they exist?" _

_Sasuke glanced at her to see if she was joking, but the frown on her face said otherwise. "I don't know," he answered truthfully. "Why do you ask?"_

"_Because… Because what happens if I'm not from this world?"_

_The boy started and realized the girl's eyes were worried and quite frightened. He squeezed her hand reassuringly. "That doesn't matter. You're still Naruto. That part doesn't change, dobe."_

"_R-really__? You mean it?"_

"_Really."_

_She smiled genuinely. "Thanks, Sasuke-teme."_

"_Hn."_

Would he still think the same way?

That she was Naruto, not someone else?

Will he accept her for who she was _now_?

"Sasuke…" she murmured, biting the inside of her cheek.

Kiba's worried eyes immediately turned grim. "He hasn't changed, Naruto. At least, not that much. Don't worry," he said.

She smiled sadly. "I hope so, Kiba. I hope so…"

Kiba released Naruto hurriedly and looked at the sky. "I'll get going."

But Naruto still noticed…

"Kiba…"

He didn't respond.

"Tell me."

He wouldn't. His jaw was clenched tightly, as if holding in a bunch of angry words.

"Kiba…" she pleaded.

"Why?" he finally inquired in a wounded voice.

"Why _what_?"

"Why didn't you say goodbye to me?" he hissed harshly.

She started, stunned. Then the words began making sense in her mind, and Naruto shook her head despondently. "No, Kiba. You got it wrong. I didn't – "

"You said goodbye to _him_."

It was an accusation.

And it hurt.

Tears welled up in her eyes. "No! You had no idea how terrible the '_goodbye' _was. I… I… I wasn't even _supposed_ to go talk to him. I was to leave. Never to look back. But I had to talk to him. Had to."

Kiba's eyes flashed. "Yeah?"

She looked at the ground. "Yeah." Pause. "About Itachi-niichan and… and the massacre."

Kiba felt shock tear at his body, and the weight that had been pressing down on his chest transformed to shame. He took a doubtful step back. "I… I'm s-sorry," he stuttered. "I… I never… knew."

She smiled miserably. "If I could, I never would've left. But there's no point in pondering at the past, is there? Just a damn waste of the crappy life that we lead," she said blandly. Naruto then added in a gentle whisper, "It's too late…"

Kiba didn't answer for a while. But he touched her arm tenderly and muttered, "Sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry for," Naruto answered, shaking her head again.

Silence.

"I'll go."

"Catch you later, Dog Breath," Naruto joked weakly. None of them smiled.

Kiba avoided Naruto's eyes as he turned around and walked off. She stared at his retreating figure before taking out the keys that Sarutobi gave her and opening the gate. Walking into the frontcourt, Naruto felt relieved. Good. _He _wasn't home yet.

"Kai."

Poof.

Naruto decided to go to the big backyard. It was quieter there. More peaceful. She wanted to think right now. Nothing more, nothing less. But the sakura tree caught her attention. She gazed at it with blank eyes.

The girl sighed unenthusiastically.

"I'm home, Mom. Dad. Missed you."

**XXX**

He was breathing heavily. There were cuts and bruises all over his body, but he didn't care. It was training. He was supposed to get hurt. But it meant getting the bed bloody and being sore for another few days.

Sasuke scowled. Whatever. It didn't matter.

Picking up his stuff, the raven-haired teenager started walking home. He ignored the dirty merchants trying to get him to buy their crap, he ignored the whispering of the men, he ignored the flirtatious looks of the women.

It was after all, just another same ole boring day.

Nothing special.

Nevertheless, Sasuke was a bit relieved when he arrived on the beaten-up dirt pass that lead to the Uchiha Estate. He was also slightly surprised at seeing another person walking towards him. The guy walked with his head down, his hands placed in his pockets.

Ah, _Kiba_.

Kiba stopped short upon catching sight of Sasuke, and the two teenagers stared at each other without a word. Sasuke realized that Kiba had a strange look on his face. It was pained… tortured… _angry_?

No one spoke.

Kiba suddenly broke the uncomfortable silence and growled in a low, brisk voice, "If you dare hurt her, I will _kill_ you."

Before Sasuke could manage a reply, Kiba was already gone. The raven teen blinked slightly, but shrugged it off. The words of a raving lunatic.

Nothing special.

The teen arrived at the gates of his house. But… Here, Sasuke became uneasy, and the hairs on the back of his neck began prickling. Something was wrong.

He felt traces of _chakra_ in his house.

Thieves?

Assassins?

_Itachi?!_

Throwing open the gate, Sasuke rushed into his house. Everything seemed okay… Nothing was out of place… Wait, what's with the kitchen? The raven teen dashed over. It looked like someone ate…

_Ramen_?

Sasuke felt like a blow was delivered to his fatigued body.

That ramen was _her _leftover food. He had never gotten rid of it. So that he could've remembered her.

_Her_.

His sunshine.

His angel.

His… heart.

Rage boiled inside of him. How dare they break into his house and eat _her _food. He'll kill them. Kill them all.

Following the faint traces of chakra, Sasuke was led in and out of different rooms. The thief or thieves seemed to have been exploring the place. But alas, Sasuke was finally led to the sliding door that connected to…

The backyard.

Sasuke wavered only for a moment. He was tired, bloody, and_ sleepy_. Did he really stand a chance? But then he remembered how they had eaten _her_ ramen, and without another thought, Sasuke slid open the door so roughly that it hit the side with a big clang.

It alerted the "thief."

She hastily turned around, long blonde hair whipping her face.

Her cerulean eyes widened in shock. And then in recognition. And finally in fear.

He was sure the expression on his face matched hers. His blood pounded heavily in his ears. His head was buzzing, and his chest had started constricting. He couldn't think. He couldn't move. He couldn't even breathe.

"_If you dare hurt her, I will _kill_ you."_

What Kiba meant… Did he…?

Sasuke numbly took in her build. Lean and nimble. She wore a green jacket and brown pants which blended in with her surroundings. Her hair fell to her waist, and her eyes… He stared into their vast blueness.

She broke the silence first. She always was the fastest to gather her wits together, Sasuke remembered dimly.

"I… I… I'm back, teme…"

He said the first thing that came up in his foggy mind.

"_Dobe_."

Her eyes widened even larger, but then, with a loud cry, she ran over and flung herself at him. He found himself hugging her back.

* * *

From here on, everything will be different than the original storyplot (just as a warning, my writing style hecka changed :x )

Review~

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	7. Reunion Part II

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Ugh I wrote the last part in five minutes. Anyways, i made the characters act older -coughcough- and all that good stuff. i reali got to go to church now, so cya. ;3

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**Chapter 6: Reunion Part II**

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Sasuke took in a shaky breath. She smelled like honey. Sweet. Strong. Soothing. His grip on her tightened, and he felt his shoulders shake. Was he… Was he crying? But no, his cheeks were dry.

_Were they?_

Sasuke found himself thinking if this were all a dream – just like all the other million ones he had these past six years.

But her scent, her murmurs into his chest, the feel of her arms at his back…

"It's you. It has to be. I…" he hissed, his heart almost flying out of his throat.

Naruto laughed breathlessly, one damp cheek pressed hard against Sasuke's chest. She whispered his name over and over again, and her hand came up to touch his cheek.

Sasuke knew his heart was going to give out any second. It was beating too fast, too hard. "Dobe."

Naruto laughed again, new batch of tears streaming down her whiskered cheeks. "Teme."

He placed his chin easily resting on the top of her head. She was as short and small as ever. They stayed like that for a long time, each finally allowing the shock ebb away into pure joy. Naruto stirred, and she dared to do the one thing she had most feared.

Taking a step back and craning her neck, Naruto tilted her head upwards and stared deeply into Sasuke's cauldron-black eyes.

The same pair of onyx eyes that had haunted her every night in her sleep. She saw emotions flit quickly in the midnight pools, and her breath stuck in her throat.

They were the _same_.

Sasuke… He was still her Sasuke. No matter what Kakashi or Kiba said, _he was still the same_.

Sasuke's eyes softened. "Naruto." The blonde girl's lip quivered dangerously. "Did I change?" he questioned after a tender moment of silence.

"No," she whispered fiercely, trying to blink off tears. It didn't work. They dripped onto Sasuke's shoulders and mixed in with his blood. "The same, you _bastard_."

He pressed his face into her sunshine hair and breathed in her scent. "Bastard?"

"Training your ass off as usual, I see."

"Hn."

Naruto gave out a breathless laugh. "What am I going to _do_ with you, Sasuke? You'll never learn the _right _way to train." Her eyes softened with love and adoration, and Sasuke felt his legs go weak. "C'mon, Sasuke, let me fix you up."

To her surprise, the hold Sasuke had on her tightened and Naruto looked up into Sasuke's face. He had a worry line etched on his forehead, and his eyes were flaring with stubbornness. "S-Sasuke?"

"I don't want to let you go," he said softly in a steel voice. "Never am I _ever_ going to let you go."

Naruto's eyes were wet another time with unshed tears. "Oh Sasuke, I'm not going to leave, I promise you. I'll never – "

She didn't get to finish.

He had pressed his lips fiercely against hers, and she felt his need to suppress his insecurity. A fire flared up within her core and she found herself quickly responding. Her lips hungrily pressed back against his, and her arms snaked around his neck and brought him as close as possible. Her body instinctively twisted around his, and the shiver that went through both their bodies made them breathless.

"Sasuke…" Naruto murmured when they broke apart. His eyes glinted passionately as he stared at her and his gaze made her feel naked. The blonde girl brought her uninjured hand up to touch his cheek. "Sasuke, why did you _do_ that?"

"Do you not want me to?" he whispered back, and he brushed his lips against hers once more. "I don't care if this is a dream; I'm going to make the most of it." His eyes glazed over with lust and love. "Naruto, I want you now. Please." Not waiting for her answer, he kissed her lips and began to unzip her jacket.

Naruto was in heaven. How many times she had craved for Sasuke's touch, and now she was getting everything she had ever wanted and even _more_ than what she had ever dreamed of. She felt the fire inside flare every time Sasuke kissed her, and before she knew what had happened, her jacket was on the ground and Sasuke's lips were pressed against her neck. She purred softly, and the purr soon became a quiet moan as she felt Sasuke's gentle teeth bite lovingly into her skin.

But this has to stop… It was wrong, they were only… only fourteen. Too young…

"Sasuke, Sasuke," Naruto whimpered, not wanting this to end but knowing it had to. Her thoughts were once again blown to smithereens when she felt Sasuke's hands start to move down towards her yearning breasts, but…

The blonde gently grabbed Sasuke's hands and eased them away from her chest. Sasuke was not easily deterred, for his lips were soon again on Naruto's, and it was all she could do to not kiss him back. "We need to stop, Sasuke…" she whispered.

Sasuke could barely comprehend what the blonde was saying. "Why…?" he muttered, tenderly licking Naruto's three whiskered scars. The small girl shuddered in want and Sasuke felt himself go hard. Never had he ever felt like this. Never, that is, except near her.

Naruto finally put two fingers against Sasuke's mouth and waited for her breathing to go back to normal. Her vision cleared and she glared at Sasuke in a combination of exasperation and fondness.

"Not two minutes in your presence," Naruto joked in frustration, "and you're already making me feel like a newly-wedded bride. What is _with _you, Sasuke? I've always thought I was the only girl able to resist your charms, but it seems like you have always held back on me, huh?"

Sasuke merely stared at Naruto calmly, his eyes suddenly becoming sad and strange.

Naruto was taken aback. "Sasuke?" she said. "What's the matter, Sasuke? You didn't take what I said seriously, did you?"

Sasuke removed Naruto's hand from his mouth and put her hand against his chest, and she could feel his heartbeat. She searched his eyes, and he smiled tenderly at her panicking face. "You know," he said in an emotionless voice, "I'm surprised you stayed this long. You normally disappear before I can even touch your face. Is it because I've exhausted myself beyond help?"

The blonde caught on and her heart went out to Sasuke. "Oh _sweetie,_" she gushed out, lips trembling as she tried not to burst into tears. "It's _not_ a hallucination, Sasuke. I'm here, for real… for _real._"

Something flickered in his midnight eyes, but it was soon gone. A small scowl was sketched on Sasuke's face. "That's what they all say…" he muttered, more to himself than Naruto.

Naruto's chin then jutted out and her eyes flashed. "You don't believe me, Sasuke?"

Sasuke met her eyes levelly. "I can't believe in all of what my hallucinations say, Naruto. If I did, I would've gone crazy by now."

The blonde's body trembled with uncontrollable aggravation. "Fine, if that's what you really think, _two _can play at this game." She balled her hands, ignoring the pain that shot up her injured arm. "I'll make you realize just how real and living I am."

This time it was Sasuke who was caught by surprise as Naruto crushed her lips against his. Her small body suddenly wedged itself against Sasuke's need and it was all Sasuke could do to hold back his shout. He felt himself go rigid, and his knees were just ready to give out. His hands swiftly shot out to grab Naruto's waist and without thinking he grinded himself into her, and she mewled in astonishment and lust. He lost his footing and fell forward onto Naruto as the both of them landed on the foresty ground.

Before Naruto could react, there was a loud rip, and with great shock Naruto realized Sasuke had torn apart her shirt. "Sasuke!" she gasped, in alarm. She saw Sasuke's keen stare at her chest and blush blossomed across her cheeks, tinting her whole face red. Her arms came up to wrap around her half naked torso, trying to shield herself from Sasuke's hungry eyes.

She knew what was coming next, and it wasn't as if she didn't want it to happen. No, she wanted Sasuke as bad as he wanted her, but she was afraid it was something they would come to regret later. Naruto closed her eyes when she felt Sasuke touch her arm, but the amazement in his voice caused her to open them again.

"Your arm…" Sasuke said in wonder and horror. "It's bruised…" He lightly fingered her poisoned wound. "I…" His eyes made contact with hers, and Naruto's heart melted with relief and love when she saw realization dawn in the midnight pools. But Sasuke's face was now contorted in distress. "Naruto… You… you _are_ real."

She bit her lower lip, confusion causing her eyebrows to furrow. "That's what I've been trying to _tell _you, Sasuke. But why – " Her voice stopped when Sasuke snatched back his arm from hers and bolted upright, and the blonde tried to hide her hurt. "Sasuke?"

His eyes were staring at her in repulsion. "Naruto, Naruto…" he whispered, and his hands came up to clutch his head. "Oh my god…"

The blonde got into a sitting position as well and pleaded at Sasuke with her cerulean eyes. "Sasuke, what's the matter? Do you not want me to be here?" Her voice broke. "Do you want me to leave?"

"What are you talking about?!" Sasuke's voice was harsh. "Are you sure you still _want _to be here? After I essentially just sexually assaulted – " He froze when he felt Naruto jump into his chest and wrap her arms around his neck.

"My poor Sasuke," she said soothingly. "Today isn't your good day, is it?" She kissed his cheek. "You silly bastard, what are you talking about? Sexually assaulted? Excuse me for saying, but I thought rape was something that was done _against_ the girl's will." She smiled at Sasuke's wild, puzzled expression. "Though I _do _think the shirt ripping was a bit extreme."

Sasuke's eyes never left Naruto's. "You… You…" he spluttered inaudibly.

A smile graced Naruto's face. "Oh I get it now. Ha, you thought I was a hallucination, that's why you were so forward and urgent with me. But now that you find out I'm real, you're at a loss of what to do." She giggled. "How disappointing. Here I am, thinking that you actually wanted me. But it was just cuz you missed me so much that you were _confused_."

Sasuke felt numb. "Naruto."

Naruto kissed his forehead. "Yes, Sasuke?"

Sasuke's eyes fluttered quickly to her bosom before he hastily looked away. This time it was Sasuke with crimson cheeks. "I'm… I'm sorry. I just can't believe… I thought I lost you _forever_."

Naruto was strangely quiet, and Sasuke dared to glance at her face. He was relieved there was no trace of anger in her eyes, but he was unnerved by her unblinking stare.

To his wonder, a smirk flicked onto Naruto's face. "Has anyone told you how _adorable_ you still look when you're embarrassed, Sasu-chan?" she chimed out. Sasuke grew red. She licked his cheek, causing it to turn almost purple in color. "Now, teme," she purred. "Can we get our wounds fixed or are you going to kiss me again?"

Sasuke grinned – sheepishly – the most beautiful grin that took Naruto's breath away. "Both." His lips caught hers.

**XXX**

Sasuke sat on the couch, his heart feeling the lightest it had felt in six years. It was all he could do to not jump out of his seat and dash into the bathroom to make sure Naruto was still there. But – here, color came back to his cheeks – he was already pretty damn _forward_ today, and he decided to not push his luck, although he was sure Naruto enjoyed every bit of it just as much as he did…

The sound of the bathroom door opening and footsteps down the hallway alerted his attention and he tried to calm himself down. Already he couldn't wait to see her face, and it had only been what? Ten minutes?

As Naruto strolled into the living room with medicinal balm in her hands, she was aware of Sasuke's eyes boring right at her, and love filled her heart and being. She grinned hugely at the raven-haired teen. "Missed me, Sasu-chan?"

He scowled slightly, but she knew it was just a pretense. "It took you long enough."

"Well I'm _sorry,_" she sniffed out playfully, "but do you have _any _idea how many drawers your huge bathroom had? It was near enough to drive me insane. And I finally found one that wasn't _expired_." She held up the bottle. "Get on your stomach."

He blinked at her. "Dobe?"

"All right, fine, be that way. Sit down on that chair and take off your shirt." Naruto furrowed her eyebrows and began to read the instruction's manual on the back of the bottle, so she didn't see the flush across Sasuke's cheeks.

_Dammit. It's just your shirt, Sasuke! Stop thinking so… so…_

Sasuke proceeded to do what Naruto told him to do, trying his very best to control his inner turmoil, and then he remembered what had happened to _her _shirt, and he quickly glanced at her. With a jolt, he realized the attire she had casually thrown on was _his_. His black shirt was obviously too big for her and it hung _way_ below her waist. And the white shorts she had changed into – Sasuke had outgrown it years ago – fell a little bit past her knees.

Sasuke broke out of his daze when Naruto clapped her hands together. "All righty, let's do this!" Naruto sauntered over to where Sasuke sat and squirted a whole bunch of liquid gel onto her hands. "Tell me if it hurts, Sasuke."

He scowled, but then shivered when he felt Naruto press the cool balm over his back. He sensed that she was being hesitant and careful. "Dobe, I'm not a baby. It doesn't hurt, really. You don't have to hold back." He looked over at her and caught her staring at him intensely. The sudden urge to kiss her made the air spark with electricity and tension, and Naruto quickly broke eye contact.

"Gosh, Sasuke, you're making me feel like a darn fangirl, butthead," the blonde muttered, reddening. "It's not fair."

Sasuke smirked. "What are you talking about?"

"Why does it seem like you always have so much power over me, and yet it seems like I have no power over _you_?" Naruto pouted. "It always ends with me ending up like jelly under _your_ touch." She sensed Sasuke's powerful gaze on her face, and she was too scared to look at him. With sudden surprise she felt him turn around, grab her, and he threw her into his lap, her back against his naked chest. She stiffened in shock and anticipation.

Sasuke pressed his lips into her hair, his eyes amused. "Usuratonkachi, don't you remember it was always me who was better at hiding my emotions? I can read you like a book." A glower appeared on Naruto's face.

"You do _not_," she stubbornly said. "You're just saying that."

Sasuke nuzzled the side of her cheek. "Of course, dobe." His smile grew bigger when he felt her relax into his embrace. "You must really like to be me, Naruto, seeing how you're back to wearing my clothes again."

Naruto's chin jutted out. "Shut up, if you hadn't shredded my shirt, I wouldn't need to wear your shirt!"

The raven chuckled. "I ripped your shirt?" He nipped the back on Naruto's neck, getting a soft whimper out of the girl. "What shall I rip next, then…?" His hands traced Naruto's waistline.

Naruto mewled out a protest. "Sasuke!" Her eyes snapped back to attention and she turned around to glare at him. "I say we need to talk about this."

Sasuke sighed, knowing the blonde was right. "I can already guess what you're going to say."

"Oh?" The blonde raised an eyebrow. "And…?"

Sasuke wrapped his arms around Naruto's torso and gently tightened his hold. She didn't protest. "Naruto, believe me when I say I never – and never _will_ – feel like this around anyone. _Anyone_, that is, except for you. This feels _right_, Naruto." He blew out a frustrated breath, and Naruto rested the back of her head against Sasuke's neck. She didn't respond.

"Remember…" Sasuke began in a curious voice.

"Remember?" the blonde echoed quietly, her fingers twiddling around with Sasuke's.

"Remember when we were little? When we couldn't decide if our love towards each other was sibling love or real affections?" Sasuke then changed Naruto's position on his lap until she was face to face with him. Naruto saw the seriousness in his cauldron-black eyes and her breath hitched in her throat. "Naruto, I love you. I love you as a brother and as a lover."

Sasuke saw Naruto's beautiful baby-blue eyes widen and saw her look deep into his eyes, trying to seek out a lie. He had nothing to hide, and so he let her glimpse far into his soul. The dawning of truth in Naruto's eyes made Sasuke's heart feel like it was ready to burst into joy, and he knew from that moment, that he wanted – _needed_ – to spend the rest of his life with her.

"Naruto, marry me."

He waited on thin ice as Naruto's eyes never broke contact, her ocean blue pools staring straight into his own being. He knew that she could tell he spoke the truth, but did she feel the same way…? Did she…

Naruto's head came to rest against his neck once more. "Sasuke," she said in a vacant voice. "I've met you for less than thirty minutes after six years of separation. Please keep that in mind. Additionally, love, we are _fourteen_-years-old, driven wild by our hormones."

Sasuke was ready. "Six years of separation means nothing to me, Naruto. I love you for _you_, nothing can change that, not even death. And we have always been mature for our age, Uzumaki Naruto. Don't put the blame on puberty."

Naruto didn't reply, and Sasuke said affectionately. "Naruto – "

"You butthead," she suddenly whispered, cutting into his sentence. He calmly waited for her to continue. "Aren't you forgetting some damn things?" she hissed, her small body trembling, racked with fierce emotions. "I'm the daughter of the Yondaime, you're the last of the Uchiha Clan, and in the midst of that, our brother is _lost_ somewhere out there. And all you can think about is _marrying_ me? A few minutes ago you didn't even think I was _real_!"

Her head tilted back and she glared at Sasuke, azure eyes flashing different emotions per second.

Sasuke smoothed back her bangs, putting on a calm charade. "And so your answer would be…?"

Her glare intensified into a ferocious scowl. "The damn answer is _yes_, and you perfectly know it yourself, don't you? And you also know that I'll insist we don't marry until we're adults but you just _had_ to ask me _earlier_ in case I get asked by someone _else_, am I right?"

Sasuke's face was ready to split in half by his huge grin. "Do you have anyidea how many fanboysyou left behind? I'm playing it safe, Naruto." He kissed her forehead. "All right, I know you'll also order me to not talk about this ever again until we come of age, and I consent. We'll pretend this conversation never happened, agreed?"

Naruto sniffed indignantly. "_What_ conversation?" she asked in a miffed tone. Sasuke laughed freely, and the blonde drank in the delicious sound, knowing it would be a long time before she heard it again. There was a comfortable silence, broken only by Naruto's inquisitive voice.

"_Ne_, Sasu-chan," she said quietly.

"Hn."

"Who… exactly… _are_ the 'fanboys' you mentioned?"

Sasuke looked down at Naruto, flabbergasted, only to meet her innocent and angelic stare. "You really want to know," he stated unenthusiastically. She nodded in eagerness. Sasuke sighed. "_Everyone_ that you hung out with, dobe, who was of the opposite gender."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Get out!" she exclaimed, bolting upright. Sasuke scowled at her, but Naruto took no notice. "Kiba _totally_ got mad at me today."

"Oh?" Sasuke was interested. "What happened?" The raven fought back the wave of jealousy when he realized that Kiba was probably the first person Naruto saw in Konoha.

"I don't know, he just blew up at me when we talked about you and my… my departure." Naruto's eyes swiftly flitted up to Sasuke's before she dropped them and stared at her hands. She squirmed uneasily.

Sasuke's eyes hardened. Here it was, the topic they both tried to avoid but knew they needed to get to the bottom of. The raven teen took a deep breath. _Quick and clean._ "Naruto…" She looked up. "Tell me," he urged lightly. "Why _did_ you leave the way you did?" Sasuke's voice was harsh with pain. "Was it because of me? If – "

"_No_!" Naruto's whisper was shrill and hysterical. "Sasuke, don't you get it? I _had_ to. If I heard you say one more word, my resolve would've crumbled to pieces. Did you actually _think _I _wanted _to go? Never, Sasuke. Never in a billion years." Her lip quivered.

Sasuke heard the truth in her words, and the small tight burden that was always against his heart was lifted. "Tell me about the person you stayed with," he then stated, stroking Naruto's hair.

Naruto glanced at Sasuke before her eyes took a distant look, seeing things only she could see. Her voice was suddenly small and frail. "Her name was Satoshi. I didn't know her last name, but somehow she was related to Hokage-jiji. When I first met her, I wondered how I would learn any ninjutsu or genjutsu from her. She was _old._ I… I picked up my accent from her, Sasuke. You don't hear me talk to you in her rough peasant accent because I feel comfortable around you, but in public, well, you'll see. I'm a completely different person." The blonde bit her lip, wondering if she said too much.

Sasuke smiled. "Dobe." Naruto returned his small smile and continued.

"Well, the first year was basically Satoshi trying to bring the life back into me again. I… I just wanted to curl up somewhere and die. Thinking about big brother and you, and everything, there just wasn't much to live for anymore. My heart was broken." A smile soon graced Naruto's face, and the purity of it took Sasuke's breath away.

"Satoshi-baasan saved me, you know. She became the family I had lost and left behind. She taught me everything I know and _don't_ know. I do suppose I _am _like her: stubborn, crude, obnoxious, frank…" Pain shot through Naruto's face. "Then when our money ran out, I… I began to earn our living by working in the town bar, as the maid," the blonde stated emotionlessly.

Sasuke stiffened, and he heard what she didn't say. "_Naruto?!_" he hissed, and his hold on her shoulders tightened. "Tell me you didn't, _please_ tell me you _didn't._"

She shook her head, still lost in her stupor. "Do you know when guys are in need, they'll tell you just about _anything_? That's how Satoshi-baasan and I got our money _and_ news. Through ninjas that pass by the bar who… who…" Naruto hung her head.

Rage consumed Sasuke. "Naruto, are you telling me you sold your _body _to – "

Naruto smiled grimly and touched Sasuke's face. "Sasuke, I'm still a 'virgin.' The most I've had to do was blowjobs and the premature hardening."

Sasuke stared at her with glazed Sharingan eyes. "_Premature_ _hardening._"

Naruto stroked Sasuke's eyelids gently, trying to soothe him. "The bartender was nice to me, you know. He needed to earn money so he hired me cuz he knew I would draw attention, but he respected the fact that I was a minor, so he never let me do the real thing. But since I was… more attractive than the real lady of the place, I helped the guys to become aroused before they slept with her."

Sasuke's body shook, and he held Naruto closer, his Sharingan eyes staring into a world of red.

"Sasuke," the blonde whispered. "It's okay, I never felt anything. Nothing's bad ever happened, don't hurt for me anymore, Sasuke. It's over." A bloodthirsty shudder went through Sasuke as he tried to pull himself together, and he nodded once, signaling her to continue. She gently kissed his cheek and closed her eyes, bringing herself to remember her most painful memory ever since the Massacre.

"Three months ago, a group of unknown ninjas appeared in town, and it turned out that they didn't believe that the Yondaime's child wasn't still in Konoha. They were planning an ambush on the Hokage when he was going to visit Suna to talk to the Kazekage there. I freaked out and ran back to Satoshi-baachan, and her face became so pale, I worried she was going to faint on me right there and then. But she merely told me I must travel back to Konoha at all costs to tell Hokage-jiji. I couldn't argue, and I immediately set off."

Naruto bit the inside of her cheek. "I didn't realize until later that Satoshi-baachan had decided to die. The ninjas somehow found out that I was the Yondaime's daughter and attacked Satoshi-baachan shortly after I left. I was then chased by the two ninja Sataoshi-baabaa couldn't kill before she… she…"

Her throat became thick and she couldn't go on any further. She felt Sasuke's strong arms around her shoulder, and she knew it was worth it. She hadn't want to come back, scared that things weren't going to be the same anymore, but for once she was happy to be wrong. There were no more hardships, as long as Sasuke would be right next to her, helping her through the difficult times.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, as her sobs became louder.

They stayed like that for a little while, each lost in their own thoughts, and only the occasional hiccup from Naruto could be heard. Sasuke never ceased stroking her hair tenderly, lovingly, and Naruto, in a long time, felt safe and secure. She cuddled against his warm and sturdy chest, breathing in his clean and soothing scent.

"Sasuke?"

He grunted to show he heard.

"Did you… hear anything about niisan?" she whispered.

Sasuke's heart still skipped a beat even though he knew she was to ask this question sooner or later. "No."

Her face fell. "Oh."

Sasuke rested his chin on her head. "Why do you believe in him so much, Naruto?" His hand suddenly began to trace up and down the blonde's back until he came to the scar he was looking for. "He _hurt_ you. He hurt _all_ of us."

Naruto stilled as she felt Sasuke finger her old scar. "Yeah? But he loved all of us as well. If you love someone, you wouldn't kill them for no good reason. Or simply for _power_."

"Naruto, you wouldn't know…"

"I at least know big brother. And I _believe_ in him." Her voice rang with tenacity, and Sasuke sighed in defeat.

"Think what you will, Naruto. But just don't get hurt again…" He stroked her scar, feeling hatred at the one that caused them so much pain, and Sasuke knew he could never forgive Itachi, no matter what Naruto said. "Did you visit Father and Mother?"

Naruto's face was the picture of anguish. "Hokage-jiji told me they didn't get better. So… So I decided I would visit them with you. I was too scared to do it myself." She caught Sasuke's eye and sensed his fury. "At least they're alive…" she whispered softly.

"If you can call it that," came his terse reply. Naruto couldn't argue. Instead she reached over to her medicine bottle and squeezed out some more cream, slowly beginning to apply it to the cuts on Sasuke's neck and chest. She blushed when she felt an involuntary tremble from Sasuke, and she met his intense leer with a grin.

"Gosh, Sasuke, in my mind, you were the leasthorny guy of all. I used to fret that you were _gay_," she teased. "What happened?"

Sasuke's eyes never left Naruto's. "What happened?" he repeated slowly, his voice only a rumble in his chest. The raven pressed his forehead against the blonde's. "You."

Naruto crossed her arms and stared severely at Sasuke. "I don't believe you, Sasu-chan. You're easily the hottest guy in Konoha, I'll admit that. So why the heck would you choose _me_? And besides, as I've pointed out before, it's been six years since we last saw each other. I'm pretty sure you have a lady friend out there whom you're keeping a secret from me."

Sasuke stayed silent, and then he proceeded to squirt some balm out of the medicinal bottle. Naruto's suspicious gaze never left his face, and she could only blink when he stuck his hand out at her. "Dobe, your arm," he murmured with a smirk. "C'mon, I'm not going to hurt you."

She hmph-ed but did what she was told. Sasuke's strong and reassuring hands then carefully began to apply the ointment. Naruto looked at the raven-haired teen, and she knew no matter how much she denied it, she had fallen for him, and _bad_. Sasuke, somehow sensing Naruto's gaze, kissed Naruto's hand.

"You now realize what a stupid question you asked me?" he teased, taking a piece of cloth and ripping it into long shreds with his teeth. He started binding her wound with them. "Dobe."

She glowered. "Teme."

The clock suddenly struck three, and Naruto watched in fascination as the cuckoo bird flung itself in and out of the wooden house. She remembered back when she had begged Fugaku to buy the clock for Mikoto, and a wistful smile appeared on Naruto's face. It had been so long ago…

Sasuke stirred and placed a finger on Naruto's cheek. "It's my training time," he said. She turned to look at him, cerulean eyes wide. He smiled. "You don't have to come, Naruto. Just stay here, I'll be back in about two or three hours."

A pout appeared on Naruto's face. "I don't want to stay alone here." She bit her lip. "I don't want to talk to anyone else either." The girl sighed sadly. "And I'm too emotionally worn out to henge."

Sasuke put on a straight face. "Emotionally worn out?"

Naruto glared daggers at Sasuke. "Teme, just because I said 'yes' to your cheesy proposal, don't think it's _final_, baka, got it?" She leapt agilely out of Sasuke's lap. "I'm going to search around for some hair dye and colored contacts. It'll only take a second."

Sasuke blinked. "So are you going with me… or not?"

The blonde's face fell. "No, Sasuke," she said softly. "I don't think I'm up to it yet. I'm just going to follow you out and then walk around the streets." She saw Sasuke's stunned expression and said indignantly, "Baka, I'm perfectly capable of taking care of _myself_. Wait for me outside, teme!" And she ran off.

**XXX**

"Stop staring at me, idiot," Naruto snapped at Sasuke when she walked out of the front door and proceeded to lock it. "I know it's weird, but it was the only color that was left besides black, and black is such a boring color, no offense."

Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows in disbelief. "Your hair's _red_, and your eyes are dark _purple_."

"Very far from your connection with Uzumaki Naruto, right?" the girl said matter-of-factly. "I don't even have my whiskers anymore. And my attire is something 'Uzumaki Naruto' would never wear."

Sasuke glanced quickly at her garments. She wore a pink tank top, white jean short shorts, and had on little red flip-flops. He even realized that she had put on a dash of lip gloss and eyeliner. "Where'd you find all of that?" he asked in amazement.

She made a face, though to Sasuke, no matter what expression she had on there was no one more beautiful. "They're old as hell, Sasuke. I think they were _Mother's_ girl clothes. When she was dating Papa, I believe." She jumped off the steps of the front porch. "Let's go, Sasuke."

As they were walking down the little path that led to the main street of Konoha, Naruto sensed a great change coming over the two of them. Sasuke's leisurely pace suddenly became faster and jerkier, and his features were sharper and somehow, more distant. But Naruto knew the same transformation was happening to her. Satoshi-baabaa always told Naruto that her eyes would become misty and veiled in public.

Naruto took a deep breath as they walked into Konoha's downtown, and the unexpected hordes of people overwhelmed her. She made sure to keep a pace or two behind Sasuke but tried to act like she was not with him to prevent further gossip. Naruto was definitely right when she said Sasuke was probably the hottest guy in town, for women _and _men alike would stop to leer at Sasuke with a great longing in their eyes.

She felt saddened to see his face harden with every look he got from the strangers, but she knew it was to be expected. This was routine for the both of them; their public masks prevented them from getting hurt.

When they got to the quieter part of town, Naruto saw Sasuke turn his head slightly around and she slowed down her pace. "Where do you want me to drop you off?" he asked apathetically from the corner of his mouth, glaring at a couple of women who were hiding behind a tree and giggling at the Uchiha.

Naruto didn't have to think long. "Kiba. I want to be with Kiba," she said softly. Sasuke's eyes darted quickly to Naruto's before breaking eye contact. His speed quickened again, and she hastened to keep up.

**XXX**

Kiba was in his room, brooding over everything that had happened earlier, but the more he thought about it, the sadder and rueful he felt. Akamaru sensed his owner's pain and suffering and gave a whine for comfort. Kiba smiled sadly and patted the dog's head.

"I screwed up big time, Akamaru," he murmured regretfully. "I can't believe I actually got mad at her. What the fuck is wrong with me?" Akamaru's whine became a long whimper, and the dog licked his master's hand.

Kiba and Akamaru suddenly heard footsteps coming towards their room, and the boy straightened, erasing his face of any emotion. Someone soon knocked on his door.

"Come in," Kiba said hesitantly.

It was his sister, and she had the strangest look on her face. "Little brother, someone wants to see you… They're waiting for you outside. Don't keep him waiting." Before Kiba could ask her who it was, she had whisked away. Kiba then shared a long look with Akamaru before sighing and getting up slowly, stretching his cramping legs.

"Well, Akamaru, let's go meet this visitor."

The pair walked out of the room and unhurriedly ambled over towards the front door. Kiba's curiosity was pretty much spiked, seeing how even his sister was unnerved by the stranger seeking to –

Kiba stiffened. _Uchiha Sasuke!_

Akamaru barked once as his owner took over in a mad sprint, and Kiba in record time was at the entrance. He ripped apart the sliding door and came face to face with the stoic Uchiha. They stared each other down.

"You'd better be here for a good reason," Kiba spat out, hands balled into a fist. "Don't tell me – "

"Is this how you treat guests here?" Sasuke cut in, voice vacant and black eyes cold. "Hn. I'm not surprised."

Kiba was ready to tackle the Uchiha when shefinally spoke up.

"Sasu-chan, please, _don't_. And I'm sorry, Kiba, for this abrupt visit. If I've come at a bad time, I can leave." Her voice chimed out loud and strong in the air, and the tension suddenly cleared. Kiba saw how Sasuke's eyes instantly softened, and he looked behind the Uchiha to gaze at the pretty girl who he knew could only be Naruto.

Just an hour ago, when he had last seen her, it was like she was from a different world. Her words were short and brief, her eyes blank and ice-cold. But now, there was a great difference in her presence and manner, and Kiba knew it was all the work of one person: Sasuke. He looked at Sasuke again, and the Uchiha nodded tersely.

"I'll come to pick her up at six. Don't you hurt her again." Sasuke turned and walked to Naruto. The movement – so very brief that Kiba almost missed it – stunned Kiba as well as Akamaru. _The_ Uchiha Sasuke had gently wound two fingers against Naruto's, and after a murmured word to the girl – she grinned cheekily – he was gone.

It was just Kiba and Naruto.

Naruto fidgeted agitatedly. "I know this is so weird and everything, I hardly know why I'm doing this myself, but I can't stand thinking that you're still mad at me and – " In two strides Kiba walked over and Naruto was crushed into his big embrace.

"Naruto, oh my god, Naruto, I'm so glad I have you back." To his surprise, Kiba felt tears well up in his eyes. He rarely cried. "You… In just one hour, I can't believe His Royal Bastardness actually warmed you up to your usual self." He looked the girl intriguingly. "How _did _he do it?"

The blush that quickly flushed through Naruto's cheeks told Kiba he didn't need to know anymore.

"Never mind," the boy said hastily. He grinned at the girl. "Red hair? Purple eyes?"

Naruto scowled. "Oh be quiet, Kiba. I personally think it's rather fashionable." She saw Kiba's face turn into wonder. "What? What's the matter? It's not _that _bad, c'mon!"

Kiba could barely put his shock into words. "Naruto, even your manner of speaking is different…" He brushed back the girl's newly dyed crimson bangs. "When I first saw you this morning, I thought your voice had become womanly and rough. But now… You're no different than when you left!" In his elation, Kiba pressed his lips against Naruto's forehead but quickly froze, wondering if he had gone too far. He saw Naruto looking at him with big, loving violet eyes, and he reddened, wondering if this were actually happening.

Naruto smiled at Kiba. "You're happy, so I'm assuming it's a good thing that I'm back to 'normal'?"

Kiba lifted the small girl up in the air and began twirling her around, feeling the warm tears trickle down his cheeks as Naruto laughed freely. "Fuck _yes,_ Naru-chan, fuck yes."

**XXX**

Kiba knew they drew attention but he didn't give a shit. He didn't give a shit about anything anymore, except for the girl next to him who was shyly holding onto his hand. His heart jumped excitedly in his chest, like the first time it did when he had kissed a girl. He glanced at Naruto again, knowing that _she _was definitely no _ordinary_ girl.

Naruto, meanwhile, was off in her own little paradise. She had thought that she would've been scared to meander around the streets, even with Kiba, but it turned out that Kiba was something Sasuke wasn't: social. Everyone seemed to love Kiba, and naturally they assumed Naruto was his little lady friend and they accepted her with no questions. It was too good to be true.

"Hey, hey, Kiba," she said eagerly, tugging on his hand. He smiled at the animated little girl next to him. _How did he ever think she wasn't childlike anymore? _

"Yes, Mei?"

Naruto smiled at the nickname Kiba picked for her. "I want to see Sasuke train."

Kiba gave her a skeptical look, in which Naruto stuck her tongue out at him. "If you wanted to see Sasuke train, why didn't you just follow him, little girl?" Kiba mocked playfully. "Now we have to walk in the opposite direction."

She grinned insolently. "You know, Kiba, you only have _yourself_ to blame."

Kiba blinked. "Oh?"

Naruto shook her head in incredulity. "You make me feel safe, Kiba. You really do." Her voice had a tinge of awe. "I can't believe I didn't notice it earlier today, but I think I was too strung up about meeting Sasuke. But Sasuke loosened me up, and though we're _both_ stiff as sticks in public, you help me feel secure around strangers." Naruto's smile warmed up Kiba's heart. "Thank you, Kiba."

Kiba gently touched Naruto's nose. "Nar – 'Mei', it was _you _who taught me to be open to people. Don't you remember?"

Naruto took both of Kiba's hands in hers. "Then it's up to you to teach _me_ this time, Kiba."

"Mei…" Kiba's eyes were serious now, and his grip on her tightened. "What happened to you? What caused you to become like this?"

The girl sighed, eyes dropping to the ground. "Kiba, it's such a long story... I already spent all my energy just telling Sasuke part of it." She hugged Kiba's waist, for her head only came up to his chest. "I promise I'll tell you someday."

Kiba smiled ruefully. "That's at least more than what you told me this morning." He suddenly picked Naruto up and threw her onto his back. "You walk too slow, little girl. So thank me for giving you a piggyback ride."

Naruto giggled. "Of course, Kiba." She punched her fist in the air. "Let's first go buy some snacks and then off to Sasuke's training grounds we'll go!"

**XXX**

Sasuke breathed heavily, knowing most of his wounds opened during the intense battle with Sai. He cringed, and it took all his willpower to not fall onto the ground. Everything within his eyesight blurred, and he swore the sky turned black for a second. All of a sudden he felt soft hands around his shoulders, and his heartbeat increased.

_Naruto…?_

No.

Sakura bit her lip as Sasuke tried to shrug her off, but she didn't back down. "Sasuke-kun, we need to check your wounds. You can't hold it off any longer." He didn't reply, but the glare Sasuke sent towards Sakura's direction said it all.

Kakashi sighed. "Maa, Sasuke, Sakura's right. How long do you keep on battering your body like this? What happens if we suddenly get a C-ranked mission?" He nodded at Sai. "Go hold Sasuke down. Sakura, here's the cream." He tossed the medication at the to-be medic nin.

Sakura blushed as she looked at Sasuke, and he knew it wasn't going to be good. "Sasuke-kun," she stuttered out. "Most of your wounds are underneath… underneath your shirt. So I'm afraid…" Her voice trailed off.

Sasuke felt Sai's hold on him tighten. "Sasuke-kun," Sai said, smiling cheerily. "If you are going to resist, I'm afraid I'll have to take off your shirt by force."

The raven teen seethed as his wounds were tended to. He thought back to just an hour or so back, when it was _Naruto _putting the cream on his chest. The feeling was completely different, and instead of irritation he felt towards Sakura right now, love had filled his heart.

"It's okay," Sasuke said stiffly after a while, and he stood up. "I'm fine." He took back his shirt from Sai and glanced at Kakashi. "I'm leaving."

Kakashi looked into Sasuke's vacant pitch-black eyes. "Wait." The silver-haired nin got up slowly. "We'll go out to dinner together." He nodded sternly at Sasuke, who obviously had something else planned. "Sasuke, Chuunin Exams are in two days. I want you guys to have _some _form of bonding. Remember, teamwork is _very_ important." Kakashi glanced at his three students. "Ichiraku Ramen, my treat."

Sasuke consented unenthusiastically – what choice did he really have? – and he dusted off his pants and began walking. _At least he didn't have to pay._ But just as _Sakura_ was about to fall into step with him, Kakashi said softly, "Wait, Sakura, I have something to discuss with you." The three ninjas turned to look questioningly at their leader, but Kakashi only shook his head. "No, it's just Sakura. Sai and Sasuke, we'll meet you guys there. Go." Sakura gave Kakashi a confused look before unwillingly leaving Sasuke's side.

Sasuke was puzzled, but he brushed it off and resumed his walk, leaving the Team 7 training grounds. Sai was just a pace behind him, and the two ninjas soon were strolling down the dirt path of downtown Konoha. The raven teen wanted more than anything to find Naruto, but he knew that if she were having a bad time, she would've sought him out already. Or _would_ she…?

Suddenly, a loud shout rang through the air, and a big ruckus was heard down the road. Someone's charka spiked, and Sasuke became rigid.

_Naruto???_

Sasuke immediately dashed towards the riot, Sai calmly following. _Just what could've happened?? _the raven thought in dread to himself. _Naruto!_ What met Sasuke's eyes stunned the raven teen in his tracks.

The two Suna ninjas were definitely Kankuro and Temari – he recognized Kankuro's tattoos and Temari's four pigtails –and Sasuke saw with discretion that Kankuro was busy cursing his head off at Kiba, who was on the other side of the alleyway. The dog master had one protective arm around … - here, Sasuke's heart jolted when he saw who it was – Naruto's shoulder, and Kiba was answering Kankuro in his own foul language.

"The fuck is your problem?" Kiba yelled. "You think you're so cool, attacking these little punks here?" Kiba pointed to the whimpering Konohamaru and his two friends, who were hiding behind Kiba's towering figure.

"Fuck off, you mutt," Kankuro shouted back. "They're the ones who fucking crashed into me." He whisked out two shuriken. "You looking for a fight?"

"Kankuro," Temari began, trying to calm her brother down. "Don't do this. We don't need to start a brawl – "

"Shut up!" the scarecrow puppet master said. "They already pissed me off enough; it's not my fucking problem." And before anyone could say anything, Kankuro threw the two shuriken directly at Kiba and Naruto. Sasuke inwardly cursed, but his tired, paralyzed legs prevented him from moving fast enough, and –

With one rapid movement, Naruto's charka spiked arm blocked the two weapons Kankuro threw and the shuriken landed on the fence next to them, harmless. The blonde raised her blazing violet eyes and stared silently at Kankuro. Her face was contorted slightly with restricted rage.

Kankuro shifted uneasily under Naruto's piercing stare, but he put on a tough face. "_Bitch_. You won't be so lucky this time – " He paused when he felt the ground underneath his feet start to rumble softly. Kankuro's eyes quickly snapped to look at Naruto, cagey. "What the _fuck_ are you doing?"

Naruto's violet eyes flashed blue for a split second, and her hands started to glow red. She turned to look at the now uneasy Kiba. "Let go 'n step back a bit," she murmured delicately, voice coated with rancor. "Yer gonna get hurt." The girl then stepped forward, falling into an aggressive crouch, and her teeth bared. Sasuke could only stare, dumbfounded. This Naruto… was feral, _wild._

Kankuro laughed. "You think you're something, ain't you, little girl? Well, think twice before you fight _me_. " He whipped out the bounded-up figure on his back, and Sasuke felt fury race through his veins when he realized Kankuro was seriously thinking about killing Naruto.

The raven-haired teen couldn't hold it in any longer, and he instantly jumped in front of the hostile Naruto. In a blink of an eye, he flung two throwing stars towards Kankuro, and they whizzed by the Sand ninja's hands, cutting into his flesh and drawing blood. Sasuke met Naruto's eyes for a brief moment, and he wanted more than anything to crush her into an embrace. But he knew better than to touch her when her eyes were tinted crimson with bloodlust.

"Fuck it!" Kankuro yelled in outrage. The sand ninja's eyes burned irately as he met Sasuke's deadly glare. "Another small fry, is it? No matter, this is –"

"Kankuro. Stop." The voice was hollow and ice-cold, and everyone lifted their heads to glance at the newcomer who dangled upside down from the tree branch. Sand shifted everywhere, and before anyone could say a word, the redhead had appeared before Kankuro and was now squarely gazing at Naruto and Sasuke in the eye.

Sasuke saw a shudder go through Naruto before the girl blinked and straightened. Her poised – now back to 'normal' violet – stare matched the stoic redhead's. "Yer with them?" she asked dangerously, her voice barely above a hissed whisper.

"I apologize for their crudeness," the redhead stated blankly. Kankuro protested, but one glare from the redhead silenced him. "Kankuro, Temari, let's leave." He turned and was about to depart when Naruto, whose temper seemed to be quickly fading, furrowed her eyebrows.

"Gaara?" she murmured out, eyes wide. There was an obvious change in her charisma. She took one small, involuntary step forward – Sasuke tensed and he was going to stop her from getting any closer – but Kiba beat him to it: the dog master quickly grabbed Naruto's shoulders, shaking his head warningly at her, his brown eyes filled with worry and fear.

Gaara merely paused in midstep and slightly shifted his head so his teal eyes caught Naruto's. There was a pause, and…

"What's your name?" he asked, his question almost a statement for there was no hint of emotion in his voice. "How do you know me?"

Naruto's eyes grew big as she recognized the sand ninja, and her lip started quivering. "Gaara, it's me," she cried out suddenly in a childish manner, her voice breaking at the end. "It's _me, _Naruto!!" The street abruptly became deathly quiet, and a breeze stirred up slowly. No one dared to make a move or take a breath, and Sasuke could see the widening of the three sand ninjas' eyes, including Gaara's.

It was Temari who first spoke. "What? Naru-chan?" she whispered quietly. She took in Naruto's attire. "Impossible, the Naruto we knew had blonde hair and blue eyes. You're… You _can't_ be her."

Naruto merely ignored the sand kunoichi, but her beseeching eyes never left Gaara's. "Gaara, _Gaara, _don't you remember me? It's _me_, Uzumaki Naruto… Gaara!"

A gust of dusty wind suddenly blew towards Naruto, causing the small girl to stumble backwards into Kiba's arms, stunned. Kiba and Sasuke stiffened, and the two glared at the hostile Gaara. The redhead's eyes now burned with a fire of loathing.

"G-Gaara?" Naruto whispered softly, tears streaking down her face. "Gaara-chan… _Why_?"

Gaara's scorching teal gaze seared into Naruto's mind, and she couldn't look away. "I don't know you," the redhead then said stonily. "Leave us alone." Without further ado, he turned and disappeared, the dumbfounded Temari and Kankuro following.

Naruto could only stare as her cheeks damped with tears. Kiba's strong arms tightened their hold around her, but she couldn't think properly. The girl turned to Sasuke for help, and his heart went out to her. Sasuke gazed calmly at Kiba, signaling the dog master to let go, and reluctantly, Kiba obeyed. Naruto immediately fell into Sasuke's embrace.

"I don't get it," she choked out, feeling Sasuke soothingly stroke her hair. "Why, Sasu-chan? Why did he…?"

Sasuke started to wipe away her tears, smiling sadly. "Dobe, you know it yourself. People change, and Gaara changed more than others." His eyes widened when he felt Naruto grab the front of his shirt and stare at him with fierce eyes. "N-Naruto?"

"He was hurting, Sasuke. He was _crying_." Naruto's teeth gritted together. "What had happened to him?"

Sasuke looked away, unable to answer. He didn't want her to hurt anymore, and…

Kiba growled, taking Naruto from Sasuke's arms and ruffling up Naruto's red hair. "Uchiha, you can't expect to protect her forever." Naruto looked up into Kiba's eyes, and he sighed. "I heard it from Shikamaru a while back. It turned out that Gaara's father had ordered someone to ambush him, and the poor boy hadn't been the same ever since."

Naruto whispered her question. "Who? _Who was it_?"

"Yashamaru."

The girl felt a blow delivered to her stomach. "No… the _one_ person Gaara loved… It can't be." Naruto searched Sasuke's face in disbelief. "Why? Why would _Yashamaru_ do it?"

Sasuke looked up at the sky, eyes callous. "He never loved Gaara, Naruto. It was all a pretense. He detested Gaara, more than you'll ever know or imagine."

Naruto thought back to the kind, smiling brown-haired man. She then realized where Gaara's pain was coming from, and the small girl's mouth formed a thin line. "I'm going to help him, Sasuke." She met Sasuke's and Kiba's perplexed looks, and she jutted out her chin in determination. "I'm going to help Gaara return to who he was before. I refuse to let him suffer like this." With that said, Naruto wiped away her tears and smiled warmly. "Gaara's still there, I _know_ so."

Kiba was taken aback, but Sasuke simply smirked.

"Dobe…"

The girl then proceeded to walk over to Konohamaru and his two friends, who were watching Naruto with some wariness. "Hey, little ones," she said soothingly. "Are you okay? Does it hurt?" She pointed to Konohamaru's bleeding leg.

Konohamaru got up shakily. "I've never seen _you_ around here," he ventured bravely, his knees shaking in fright. His two small friends whimpered.

Naruto's eyes softened. "No, you haven't. I'm new here, for the Chuunin Exams." She took out a Band-Aid from the pocket in her white shorts and ripped it open. As lovingly as a mother would, Naruto placed the Band-Aid on Konohamaru's cut – he flinched involuntarily. "Run along now, and be careful of strangers from now on." She smiled as the trio quickly jumped to their feet and dashed away, but not before they gave Naruto one last mystified glance.

Naruto next turned to Sai, who stayed quiet the whole time. "You must be Sai," she said cheekily, eyes wrinkling into a grin. She stuck out her hand. "It's nice to meet you. I'm '_Mei'_." Her eyes glittered warningly, daring him to ask her the obvious question.

Sai looked at Naruto for a long time before he smiled cheesily in return and took Naruto's hand. "Pleased to meet you, _Mei_." His smile grew bigger. "Are you related to Kiba-kun or Sasuke-kun?"

Naruto grinned. "We're _all_ related, one way or another," she said evasively. Suddenly, a thought came to Naruto and the girl glanced at Sasuke in bafflement. "Sasuke, why _are _you here? I thought you were training?"

Sasuke shrugged carelessly, but his onyx eyes glowed with some kind of strange emotion Naruto couldn't decipher. "My team was supposed to meet up at Ichiraku Ramen." His face softened as he saw Naruto's eyes instantaneously sparkle at the word 'ramen.' "_Dobe_."

Naruto could hardly contain her joy. She ran over to Sasuke and kissed his cheek – Kiba's eye twitched. "You mean it, Sasu-chan? Can we really come with you?"

The raven teen feigned indifference, although his heartbeat rapidly sped up. "Hn. Kakashi's treating us."

"Hooray!" Naruto bounded back towards Kiba and Sai, but to the surprise of them all, her hand sought out Sai's. The Root ninja calmly gazed at Naruto in phony astonishment.

"Mei-chan?" he asked, grinning falsely.

Naruto wrinkled her nose at him. "_Baka_, when you're surprised, you're supposed to open your eyes wide and drop your jaw a little bit. Like this." And she proceeded to show him. Sai looked at her in all seriousness and imitated her. Naruto nodded gravely. "Well, I suppose you're pretty good for a beginner." The girl motioned to Sasuke and Kiba. "_C'mon_, slowpokes, let's go!"

**XXX**

Sakura abruptly stopped in the middle of the restaurant's doorway, and Kakashi nearly bumped into the pink-haired girl. "Sakura? What's the matter?" He caught a glimpse of her appalled face, and his curiosity was instantly aroused. Kakashi looked over Sakura's head, and if he weren't an experienced ninja, his chin would've dropped to the ground.

Seated around the biggest table in Ichiraku Ramen were Sasuke, Kiba, Sai, and a redheaded girl, who Kakashi knew could only be Naruto. But… but the thing was, Naruto was _sitting _on _Sai's_ lap, and she was so cheerfully chatting to the impassive Sasuke and amiable Kiba that… Well, there was not a customer in the eatery who _didn't_ have his or her gaze ogling the bizarre foursome.

Kakashi hastily cleared his throat and tapped Sakura's shoulder. "Maa. Sakura," he said sympathetically. "I know you're surprised, but blocking the entrance isn't the best way to be invited into the restaurant. Let's go join them, shall we?" And he gently veered the stunned kunoichi in the direction of the table.

Naruto at once perked when she saw Kakashi and Sakura arrive. Her face lit up with a beautiful grin, and she excitedly waved Kakashi and Sakura towards the two remaining chairs.

"Sorry, there was only a table with five seats," she said in a friendly tone, "so excuse me for how informal I'm making Sai look." She winked furtively at Kakashi and turned to Sakura. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Mei, what's your name?"

Sakura blinked cagily, and she forced out a weak smile. "I'm Sakura. Nice to meet you, Mei. Are you _new_ around here?" She saw how close Mei was to _her _Sasuke-kun and Inner Sakura immediately flared up. _Chaa, there's no way she's getting _my _Sasuke!_

Naruto nodded spiritedly. "Yes, I'm here for the Chuunin Exams." She smiled widely again. "My deepest apologies, we all ordered before you guys got here. I'm sure you like miso ramen, _ne_?"

Kakashi's one visible eye twinkled. "Of course… _Mei_."

Dinner consisted basically of two conversations. Naruto – who had shared an amused look with Kiba – somehow sensed Sakura's rivalry towards her, so with an apologetic touch on Sasuke's hand, she had turned her back on the Uchiha – much to his alarm– and began to chat with Kakashi and Kiba. Sakura, pleased with the turn of events, tried to get a word or two out of the now irate Sasuke (but to no avail), and Sai was just Sai. He stayed quiet the whole entire time, though if one watched him closely, one would see the half, _almost_ mystified glances he sent at Naruto every now and then.

Alas, dinner was soon over (Naruto having downed four bowls), and Kakashi glanced at the table in dismay. Empty bowls were stashed _everywhere_.

"_Maa_, do I really have to pay for all of this?" His question was met by five pairs of merciless and blank eyes. The silver-haired shinobi resignedly rubbed his masked face and sighed. Taking out a thick wad of money, he placed it on the table and stood up. "I thank you _all_ for your generous appetites, especially _yours_, Mei." A sassy grin flashed at his direction. "Sakura, I'll walk you home. Sai, you can come along as well."

Under Naruto's attentive eye, she saw Sakura glanced longingly at Sasuke's direction, and the small girl slyly kicked Sasuke in the shin. The Uchiha sent a half exasperated, half annoyed glare at Naruto before directing his calm gaze at the pink-haired kunoichi.

"See you tomorrow, Sakura, Sai," was his detached goodbye.

Naruto waved. "Bai bai, everyone! Thank you again for the treat, Kakashi-sensei! Catch you guys later, Sakura, Sai." Kakashi's lone eye twinkled once more, and then the three were out the door. Kiba stood up next, smiling wistfully.

"Well, today's been a blast, _Mei_, but I'm afraid I'd better get going. Sis is going to lay an egg if I don't get back soon." Kiba nodded politely at the Uchiha and turned to leave.

"_Wait_, Kiba," Naruto said, quickly jumping to her feet. She grabbed the dog boy's hand. "Am I going to see you tomorrow?" Her eyes were wide, and Kiba laughed raucously.

"Mei-chan, you know _exactly _where I am." He patted her head and ruffled her hair adoringly. "Good night, little chibi." With one last bear hug, Kiba was gone into the night. Naruto turned to Sasuke, who was suddenly standing right behind her.

"Sasu-chan, let's go home as well…"

"Dobe."

**XXX**

"So… you and Sakura-chan, eh?" Naruto laughed at the look of incredulity on Sasuke's face, and she snuggled up closer to him, a delighted purr starting in the back of her throat. "I think you guys make a cute pair, Sasu-chan. She cares a lot about you."

Sasuke gave Naruto an exasperated look. The two were sleeping on Sasuke's big king-sized bed, and Sasuke wondered if his life could get any better. Everything that he had wished for in the past six years had come true, and his most beloved person in this world – thank the gods she had changed back her hair and eyes color – had placed her head on his chest and was humming contentedly there. _Screw Sakura_.

"Dobe." Sasuke closed his eyes. "Don't be ridiculous."

Naruto grinned. "I'm _serious, _she's totally fallen for you.

Sasuke snorted (very unUchiha like). "It's not the other way around."

The blonde sighed in mock frustration. "You don't _know _that unless you let it become a possibility." She caught Sasuke's eye and laughed. "All right, all right, I get it, your Honor." A look of curiosity suddenly came to Naruto's face and she stared unblinkingly at Sasuke's face.

Sasuke, needless to say, was slightly unnerved. "What? Dobe…? _What_? Stop staring like that!"

Naruto raised one hand – Sasuke flinched – and… the blonde placed it on Sasuke's head. The girl ruffled Sasuke's hair warmly and she laughed. "Hey, it's still the same!"

Sasuke growled, "_What's _the same, dobe? Just what the heck are you doing, Naruto?"

Naruto's ocean-colored eyes twinkled. "It's still the same girly silk soft hair, that's what! What kind of nourishment do you give your hair?" She snickered. "Seriously, what a _lass_ you can be, Sasuke!"

Sasuke's eyes suddenly burned with a strange look, and Naruto was immediately uneasy. "Eh? Sasuke, what are you… Sasuke? No, stop, what are you – !"

In a flash Sasuke had Naruto on her back, his hands pinning her wrists against the bed mattress. He looked at her in amusement as she vainly struggled to break free. "I'm a _girl, _now, am I?" He bent down and tenderly licked the blonde's earlobe, and she instantly stopped thrashing. Her eyes snapped towards Sasuke's and held his calm gaze.

"Bastard," she sniffed out. "You're just lucky you're slightly stronger than me in man strength, now lemme go." She gasped as he suddenly – but carefully – dropped all his weight all her until he was lying right on top of her. He placed his head against her chest and closed his eyes, a small smirk gracing his aristocratic face.

Naruto's heartbeat sped up and she knew Sasuke could hear it. "This is such an indecent move to make on me," she snapped out, cheek tinted with red. "Now gerroff me, you uncouth animal."

Sasuke's smirk grew bigger, and he stared at Naruto squarely in the eye. "Of course, _your Honor_." He bent forward to gently kiss the embarrassed blonde before rolling to his side. He chuckled when he felt the girl jab him in the forehead.

"Don't you do that again until we are officially husband and wife, you horny brute." The blonde scowled meaningfully.

Sasuke's eyes glittered with merriment. "This attitude is completely different than that in the morning."

Naruto's scowl deepened. "Okay, well that was cuz you caught me by surprise. I'm not like that normally!" She sighed and a sheepish grin appeared on her face. "Bastard." She kissed him on the cheek and closed her eyes. "Good night."

He smiled and brushed back her bangs. "Good night."

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Please review! xoxo :)

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	8. Author's Announcement

Hi guys!

First off, I'd like to thank all of you for your love and support that has kept me going for so long. I read and loved every single review you guys wrote, and again, I'm very grateful.

On a sadder note, I'm sorry to say that I do not think I'll be continuing with this story. It's been way too long since I've thought about this story line, and frankly speaking, I can't even remember the ingenious BUT INTRICATELY COMPLICATED plot I had originally planned for this story. Also, my writing style has completely changed.

LUCKILY, I did start a new FemNaru/Sasu story using the same fanfiction account (thunderfur) and if you guys liked this story, then I'm _pretty_sure you'll like the one I'm writing right now. So, although I'm deeply sorry for not being able to continue this story, I strongly urge you to go check out my new fanfic. It's called **Forget Me Not**. Hopefully I won't chicken out midway like I did with this one.

Thanks, guys, for everything!

xoxo


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